Battlefield
by helloclouds
Summary: Grace Fitzgerald has lived among the supernatural since forever She returns to Beacon Hills to meet up with Derek Hale, and ends up getting a family she doesn't bargain for, including Isaac Lahey Will she sacrifice everything for her new pack or betray them to get a step closer to finding out where she was when her real family died? Isaac/OC
1. Chapter 1

Scott decided it would be fun to have a party to celebrate the pack defeating the Alpha pack. Well...it was more like Stiles decided and Scott somehow got roped into giving up the house, since Ms. McCall was working the night shift again and the Sheriff had worked all day and needed his sleep. And it was more like an excuse to have a party, since that victory was over two months ago. That's how I found myself in the middle of the McCall living room, watching Allison and Scott making out on the couch. After everything, they got back together and I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Over the last few weeks I found myself spending a lot of time with the huntress, which had led for me to care about her. I wanted it to be me she was kissing, and not the boy who had given me a roof over my head. Ugh, I couldn't stand looking at them.

I made my way to the kitchen to get a drink, pushing past the drunken humans and werewolf teenagers. Stiles had made some point to invite a lot of people; something about trying to rival Lydia about having the party of the year. He had gotten over his crush of the beautiful strawberry blonde. He cared about her immensely, but he figured she was happy with Aiden, and that he shouldn't mess with that. And when Cora and Derek had come back to Beacon Hills, two weeks after their departure, she kissed him and he kissed her back and the two had been basically inseparable since. Speaking of Stiles, I hadn't seen the Adderall driven kid in a while. Cora wasn't here, so he was probably moping around somewhere.

Finally making it to the kitchen, I went and got a drink from the fridge. Leaning against the stone bench top on the opposite side of the kitchen was a girl. She looked nervous, and alone. If Allison was busy, I may as well try my luck.

I walked over to her and smirked at her, "You know there is this amazing new thing called socializing. You should try it."

She looked up at me in mock horror and then grinned. It was the kind of grin that wasn't just on her lips, but her green eyes lit up as well. She was pale, with freckles covering a lot of her skin. She had a thick mess of curly, dark brown hair which she wore in a bun on her head. When she spoke, her voice was soft, with a hint of a smile in it.

"Is it that obvious I'm alone?"

"Well now you mention it..." I chuckled lightly. "I haven't seen you before. How'd you find out about this thing?"

"A girl in my English class; Allison? She said her boyfriend was having some party and invited me along. She's being nice to the new kid."

At the mention of Allison's name, my face softened and a smile quickly crossed it.

"So, you're the boyfriend?"

"No! I mean, I live here. But I'm not her boyfriend. She's dating Scott."

"But you like her."

She doesn't say it as a question, but a statement. Almost like there was no chance of it being false. Well, it wasn't. But she didn't know that. Was I that easy to read? Or was everyone else just oblivious? I felt guilty. I had clearly underestimated this girl. She was witty and honest, not just a pretty face. I felt guilty for crushing on Allison, mainly for my friendship with Scott. He had been nothing but kind to me, and this was how I was repaying him?

"Crushing on your best friend's girl isn't exactly a new concept, dude. But, it does have consequences. You have to figure out whether or not it's worth it. Do you like her because she is nice to you, or because you like her?"

I cock my head to the side, slightly confused.

"Ah…what's the difference?"

She pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words. She popped herself up on the bench, so our eyes were level.

"Do you like her because she is kind to you, and maybe you don't get that often, or do you like her because when she smiles at you, you can't think straight, when she touches you, your skin feels like it's on fire and when you see her, all you can think is sex, right here right now. Do you see the difference?"

I nodded, and she looked at me expectantly.

I sighed, "I don't know which one it is."

She looked at me, and all hint of mucking around had vanished. Instead, her face was serious, but kind.

"You better figure it out, dude."

We were silent for a moment, and then music broke out throughout the house.

_"I'm coming out of my cage_

_And I've been doing just fine_

_Gotta gotta be down_

_Because I want it all."_

"I love this song," I say.

She nods in agreement, "Anyone who doesn't love this song is a liar. Or someone who isn't to be trusted."

I laughed, and couldn't help but agree with her.

"_It started out with a kiss_

_How did it end up like this?_

_It was only a kiss_

_It was only a kiss"_

She quietly sang along to the next few lines, and then a very drunk Allison ran up to us.

"Grace! You're here! And I see you've met Isaac."

Allison winks at me, and I mentally face palmed myself. This was a total set up on Allison's behalf, and worse yet, I hadn't even told the girl my name

"Isaac Lahey," I said, extending my hand to her.

"Grace Fitzgerald," she says, taking my hand.

"And I'm Allison Argent," Allison shouts putting her hand on top of ours. I'm not sure if I imagine it, or if Grace actually flinches when Allison does the action, but I dismiss it. After all, I had been drinking, which was now possible thanks to Stiles tricking Dr. Deaton into giving us this herb which slowed down the sobering up process.

"Come meet the others!"

Allison drags Grace away, and she throws me a sympathetic smile over her shoulder. I go up to my room, no longer bothered with socializing


	2. Chapter 2

Allison drags me to "the others." God, she was an Argent. Resisting the urge to scream at her and maybe throw in a few punches was overwhelming, but I had to resist. After all, it wasn't her family that had hunted down my family, but rather her aunt and her friends, and I couldn't assume she was guilty like they assumed my family was. She was young after all; she might not even know her family's heritage.

She led me to the living room, where a bunch of teenagers were. She clears her throat, and begins introducing her cohorts.

"That's Scott, my boyfriend, and his best friend Stiles who is moping because his girlfriend isn't here. And that's Lydia, who is my best friend, and her boyfriend; Aiden. That's Aiden's identical twin brother; Ethan and next to Ethan is his boyfriend Danny. And you already met Isaac."

Taking in the group of teenagers, I realize they aren't just that. They're werewolves. Well, most of them anyway. Living with at least one werewolf at a time for the majority of my life had given me the ability to spot them without having the sense of smell that actual werewolves have. Their positioning around Scott told me he was their pack alpha, the twins and Isaac were his betas, although neither were turned by the kid sitting before me. Lydia Martin was a banshee, and I knew she didn't quite know what that meant yet. Once I found Derek, I'd make a point to try and help her out. Holy shit, maybe they could help me find Derek. I couldn't just ask straight out though. There could be bad blood between this pack and his, and going in blind could lead to horrible consequences.

So instead I say, "Is it a prerequisite that you have to date each other to be a part of this group or?"

Stiles, the boy on the floor moping, started cracking up.

"Oh god, I like her. We need another sarcastic person in our ranks."

Lydia throws her empty paper cup at his head, "We already have enough sarcasm with you, thank you very much."

He sits up and looks at her with a look of pure horror on his face, "Lydia Martin, there is _no_ such thing as enough sarcasm and if you ever say that again I will disown you as a friend."

I couldn't help but giggle at the boy, which turned out to be a fatal mistake.

"If you will excuse me, I need to pee."

I get up from the couch, and venture off in an attempt to find a bathroom. I climbed the stairs, figuring the downstairs one will have a line. I wander the hallway until I come to a door. I knock, and there is no response. I open the door, and I realize this isn't a bathroom but a bedroom. The room is largely bare, containing only a bed, a chest of drawers and a desk. There was a lacrosse bag in the corner and a laptop on the bed. There was a door, leading to an ensuite bathroom. I look around the room once more, before turning to the bathroom. The door knob starts to turn, and I jump, because in the next moment leaning against the door frame is a very shirtless Isaac.

God, did he have an amazing chest. Then I realize I'm staring at him, and he's staring at me; grinning. I turn away and blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry! I was looking for a bathroom and I knocked but no one answered and sorry." I couldn't get the words out fast enough. My heart was racing, and I knew he could hear it. High pressure situations and I did not mix well, and my body decided to betray me. It was right at this moment it started. My heart skipped, not in a romantic way, and I could barely breathe. It was like someone was sitting on my chest.

"Grace? Grace!" The panic in Isaac's voice broke through my thoughts. He quickly pulled me over to the bed and sat me down.

"Grace, what's happening?"  
I started crying, why won't it stop? It won't stop. I couldn't speak, it was too much effort.

"Grace, close your eyes and deep breaths. Don't panic, okay? I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you."

He pulls me to his chest and I breathe in his scent, complying with his demands. It's minutes before I'm calm again, and when I open my eyes, I see his sad blue eyes looking back at me. I pull away; embarrassed. I've just met Isaac, and he already knows my biggest weakness.

"Since I was a kid, my heart…it sometimes stops working and then I freak out and it makes it worse."

"Its nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes it is. It makes me _weak."_

The word was like a bad taste in my mouth, venom to my very being.

"I don't think you're weak."

I rolled my eyes, "You don't know anything about me, Isaac."

He sat back against the head board of the bed, and moved the laptop. He patted the spot next to him, indicating I should sit there.

"Well, I have 17 years to catch up on. We better get started."


	3. Chapter 3

I don't remember the music stopping last night or everyone going home, or falling asleep beside Isaac, but it must have happened. I woke up with Isaac's arm wrapped loosely around my waist and his breath steady on my neck. I sighed, and try to detangle myself from the teen wolf. Nothing happened; we'd spent the entire night talking. We spoke about everything and anything, both of us avoiding the topic of the supernatural and family. All I said was I was adopted, because my parents really wanted a girl but all they seemed to get were boys, and he said that he had no family, and the McCall's kindly took him in.

I made my way downstairs, and it was here I found Allison and Scott sleeping together on the couch, wrapped together closer than anyone I'd ever seen. Stiles was on the floor, with his arse sticking up in the air. I snapped a picture, thinking he'd find it funny later. I turned away from them, and to the kitchen. I grabbed some garbage bags and started collecting empty cans and bottles. I was almost done when I heard Isaac's behind me, voice heavy with sleep.

"You know you don't have to do that, right?"

"I know."

He sighed, shuffled to the kitchen and came out a moment later with a garbage bag. We cleaned in silence and in no time the entire house was clean. We throw the rubbish in the trash and take the bins out to be collected so Ms. McCall will have no idea about the events that occurred at her house the night before.

"You hungry?"

"You don't have to feed me, Isaac."

"Just like you didn't have to clean up, Grace. Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms or that healthy one."

I laugh at Isaac's horrified face at "that healthy one."

"Lucky Charms please, bartender."

He served my cereal, and we sat in silence eating. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, but rather silence I could wrap myself in and feel okay. As a kid, I was used to living with my parents and three older brothers, and so silence was never something that really happened. When I lost that, I began to feel scared in the silence around me. When I lived with Derek and Laura, they made a point to always have music playing in the background so that there was never silence. When Laura was killed, that stopped, because Derek sent me away. This, though, this was okay.

Stiles stirred in the corner, and when he saw the pair of us, his eyes went wide. He quickly began poking Scott and Allison, whispering; "Guys, wake up! Grace stayed over last night! With Isaac!"

I rolled my eyes, and rose from the kitchen table, "That's my cue to leave. Thanks for breakfast, dude. And remember, figure it out quick. Bye Stiles, Scott! And thanks for the invite, Allison."

I was almost out the front door before I collided with someone.

"And who are you?"

The woman had a voice of kindness mixed with attitude. No wonder Isaac was so sassy.

"Grace Fitzgerald, Ms. McCall. I was just picking up some notes that Isaac was kind enough to lend me."

She smiled and waved me off, and I let out a sigh of relief. I could not deal with parents today.

* * *

"So, who was that running out of here?" Melissa asks the four teens laying around in her living room. Without missing a beat, Stiles replies "Isaac's girlfriend." He is swiftly met with a pillow to the back of the head.

"She is not," the curly haired teen mumbles.

"She's pretty," Melissa says nonchalantly, attempting to bate the boy.

"Yeah, she's okay. I mean, yeah she is. But like, her looks don't make her pretty. The way she acts does, if that makes sense."

Melissa grins while the three other teens start singing "Isaac likes Grace" repeatedly.

"I don't. She's just cool, okay?" He says, getting up and storming to his room.

"I think we hit a nerve," Scott says, and everyone laughs.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday comes by pretty quickly, and I'm kicking myself for not getting Grace's number. It's not like I was crushing on her. I mean, she was hot and nice and really cool, but it's not like how I felt about Allison. I had gone the whole day without being able to spot her, and now that lunch had started and there was still no sign of her, I had pretty much given up. Maybe I imagined her? Was I that drunk that I made up a girl in my head?

_"Regrets collect like old friends_

_Here to relive your darkest moments"_

I knew that voice. I'd heard it before; at the party. When Grace was singing The Killers' hit "Mr. Brightside, she'd sounded exactly like how this voice sounded. It was soft and shaky, like whomever it belonged to was trying to keep the lump in their throat from affecting the song, but it was passionate at the same time, as well as powerful.

_"I can see no way, I can see no way_

_And all of the ghouls come out to play"_

I decided to follow it, because I was pretty sure I'd find Grace at the end of it. When we were talking, I asked her if she sang. She said she did, but that doesn't mean she was any good at it. I had rolled my eyes at her probable modesty.

_"And every demon wants his pound of flesh_

_But I like to keep some things to myself"_

I finally make it down the art's hallway, and sure enough the music room door is slightly open, and Grace is inside belting out Florence and the Machine's "Shake it Out", but slower and rawer. I lean against the door frame and watch her. She's wearing tight black skinny jeans with a burgundy sweater. It hangs slightly off her shoulder, and with most of her hair tied up, and a few strands brushing along her shoulder, she looked amazing. She had her back turned to me, but I could picture the way she sang; with her eyes closed lightly and a smile gracing her lips. When she finished, I clapped and she jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me. I just, I wasn't expecting anyone to be listening."

"Well, you're amazing."

She shakes her head, unconvinced. "There are people out there much better than I am."

"I disagree, and I think we should continue this discussion over food. I am starving!"

"I don't think so, Lahey. I mean, I don't think Scott, Stiles, Allison and the others will really want me around."

"Well, that's too bad for them. Come on."

I grabbed her wrist and led her upstairs to the cafeteria and to the table where the others are seated. People are missing, specifically Cora and Stiles.

"Where's Cora and Stiles," I ask. Grace stiffens beside me as I ask the question.

Lydia answers, not looking up from her book, "You know how they are. If they're apart for too long they go mad, they ditched to make up for lost time.

I nod, I knew they hadn't had sex yet but Cora and Stiles liked to be around each other constantly. It was only a matter of time.

"Cora?" Grace questions.

Lydia answers again, "Cora Hale, Stiles' girlfriend who was away with her brother on Friday. Speaking of which, I heard you stayed the night. Details, please?"

Lydia has finally lifted her nose out of her magazine covered physics book and looks at Grace, studying her. I wonder what Lydia sees when she looks at Grace. It must be something, because Lydia _blushes. _Yes, Lydia Martin actually blushes at Grace and looks a little guilty for what she just suggested. It's caused everyone else at the table to turn slightly in our direction.

Grace doesn't notice any of this and shrugs. She sits silently as we all eat, joking and chattering amongst ourselves. When the 10 minute warning bell rings, she gets up. "I have to run to my locker," she explains.

"Hey, I'll go with you," I say, getting up and following her. As we walk down the hallway, she quickly pulls me into an empty classroom, one conveniently out of ear shot of everyone, even Scott.

She looks up at me. I can hear her heart beating at a million miles per minute, and I'm worried she's going to have an episode. She takes a deep breath.

"You need to take me to see the Hales."


	5. Chapter 5

He looks at me, dumbfounded. He bites his lip for a moment, considering his options. "Scott won't like it."

"I know he's your alpha, Lahey, but Scott can't know."

His eyes go wide, "You know?"

"Of course I know. Please, tell Scott I overpowered you. I'll agree, and whatever consequences happen I will take them."

"Are you-"

"I'm not gonna hurt them, Isaac."

There is pleading in my voice and he can tell I think he can tell I am being honest.

He sighs, "Scott can't know."

I follow him to the car in silence, and that's when the panic set in.

_They said Cora was alive. Is he going to be happy to see me? Will he be pissed? Of course he'll be pissed. Last time he left, it ended on a bad note. Cora's alive? She's alive. No. Don't get your hopes up. What have you learnt about hopes? They only get sat on. Don't get them up. Oh god, she's alive, she's alive. Will he recognize me? Will she recognize me?_

The last time I had seen Cora was the morning of the Hale fire. She and one of my brothers, Alex, were laughing at me because I was in a dress, something I never wore but she always did. Derek just rolled his eyes and told Cora to play nice. I told him I could handle myself and Peter, being as sassy as he was, snapped his fingers in a z formation and said, "Yeah Derek, don't fight Grace's battles. She can handle herself, right kid?" Bumping his hip against me, I remember nodding profusely. Even then, I didn't want to seem like the weak human. It was a nice last moment together; our two families in their truest form, poking fun at each other with love.

The last time I had seen Derek hadn't been so nice. There was screaming and hitting and calls of I hate you, all on my end. He told me he didn't want anything to do with "the stupid _human" _anymore.

All these thoughts ran through my head as we drove to the Hale's, and so when we pulled up, I wondered how we got here. The car trip seemed so quick. I must have been so deep in thought. And then I looked down, and my hand was covering Isaac's. I quickly let go and mumble an apology. He shrugs, and he leads me up the stairs into the loft.

He drags open the big door and he calls out, "Derek? You home?"

A voice hollers from above, "Yeah, Isaac. I'll be down in a sec."

My stomach is doing back flips and I feel like I am going to be sick. I hide behind Isaac, and I hear footsteps come closer.

"Hey, Isaac."

He stops in his tracks, listening to the second heart beat for the first time since realizing there was one, "Grace."

I step out from behind Isaac, and run towards Derek. He pulls me into a hug and holds me tight enough that I stop shaking. I take in his scent and sigh, _this is what family smells like._ I never wanted him to let go, but eventually he did. It was weird, seeing the boy…man, I had been in love with as a kid. It was a stupid crush, and as soon as he started dating Paige it disappeared. I think I had those feelings towards him because he never treated me like I was fragile, but like I was anybody else.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was slightly frustrated, like he only just remembered he was mad at me, and I was just some dumb kid.

"Family."

"Grace-"

"You can't send me away again. My family died in that fire too and you and Laura said you'd take care of me, and then she died and you wanted to send me away so I ran away but I don't want to run anymore. I want to be with you and Cora and I don't want to leave."

As I say her name, she walks through the wooden door with Stiles by her side. They were laughing, probably at something the ADHD driven boy said, but she froze when she saw me.

I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in. She looked different, having traded in floral dresses for combat boots, jeans and tank tops. Her hair was pulled back, off of her face, and she wore no makeup. Being alone for 6 years had obviously made her harsher, and even more of a fighter than she had been when I knew her.

"You're alive."

"Disappointed?" She knows that is the exact opposite of what I am feeling, and so she grins as she says this. I run up to her and hug her as tight as I could.

"Disappointed is so not what I am feeling right now," I tell her through tears.

Stiles and Isaac are standing beside the door, not knowing whether to leave or stay put. Derek looks on, smiling, two of his favorite girls together again. I can tell he's thinking, and formulating a plan.

He clears his throat, "Okay, Stiles you need to call your dad and get him to come here. Isaac, you call Scott and get the pack here as quick as you can. Cora, show Grace to her room, and Grace?"

I look at him, scared of what he's about to say, but his face makes me relax. It's softer compared to earlier, and so full of love. Not romantic love, but completely family orientated. I realize he was always trying to do what's best for me, even then. Even if it meant hurting me, if I was safe, he didn't care.

"Yeah?"

"Peppermint tea, okay?"

I nod, grinning because he remembered my favourite tea and had some even though he hated the stuff


	6. Chapter 6

In twenty minutes, everyone is here and they have no clue why. When I called Scott, I said everyone had to get here as quick as they could, and hung up. They ran through the door, wolfed out and were completely confused when they saw Derek, Cora, Grace, Stiles and I on the couch, eating stale biscuits.

Derek took Sheriff Stilinski upstairs to talk in private, and when they returned, the Sheriff bid us farewell. Derek sat beside Grace, and she began to tell her story.

"I was adopted when I was only 4 weeks old by the Fitzgerald family. My mum, my birth mum, didn't want me. I was a mistake; she had told the nurses who delivered me. My mum, my real mum, had already had three boys and she desperately wanted a girl, so when she was taking my younger brother Alex to the hospital for a checkup and saw me, her and my dad adopted me.

"My mum had been best friends with Tahlia Hale since they began school together. Talia turned my mum, because my mum wanted the bite, Tahlia was more than willing to give it to her. Mum became a kick ass prosecutor, and moved away to the big city of NYC to become an ADA. Its where she met my dad, who was a detective. They worked a case together and fell in love. They were the dream team, he had instinct and heart, and she had smarts and passion. Mum turned Dad, because he wanted to be with her completely. They got married and had my two twin older brothers; Blake and Darren."

She turns to Ethan and Aiden, "Twin werewolves combine when they turn, is that true of you?"

Ethan nods at her, and she doesn't speak for a moment.

"Alex was born almost 10 years later, and I was adopted six months after that. They didn't mean to wait 10 years between kids. It just kinda happened. Blake and Darren were total opposites. Blake was a dreamer, he wanted to be a doctor and put his head in the books like no tomorrow. Darren was the family sports star, even without his added abilities he had more talent when it came to sport than anyone. Alex wanted to be a drummer in a band, and worked his ass off playing every day.

"The Hale family and my family were always close. We spent summers together and visited each other at least once a month. The Hale fire…"

Cora wraps her hand around Grace's and Derek rests his hand on her shoulder. She's trying not to cry, and Allison keeps her head down. I get the flinch when Allison said she was an Argent. Grace had lived her entire life with werewolves, and so she feared what they feared. Kate Argent had murdered her family without so much as a second thought. She was still trying to come to terms with it. The three of them together like that, despite not being entirely blood related, looked like a family, their connection deeper than that between my dad, who was flesh and blood, and I. I admit I was a little jealous of what they had. Then I had to remember how they got it, and I instantly felt a pit of guilt in my stomach.

"We were visiting for the week. We'd spent the morning out in the woods, and we were all returning to the Hale property…and I didn't. Everyone in my family _burnt _to death and I can't even remember where I was."

I wanted to comfort her, to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. She was shaking, and I wanted to hold her until she stopped. Everyone was silent. Cora was trying to calm her down, preventing another attack.

"Sorry," her voice cracks. "I don't talk about it much. And I realize all of you have lost someone, or multiple someones." Her eyes meet mine, and I want to look away, but I cant. I look back at her, and finally she looks down.

Derek leaves for a moment, and when he comes back I hear music softly playing in the background. It's loud and it's angry, because that's the only type of music Derek owns, but the presence of it instantly calms her down

"I moved in with Laura and Derek. It was hard for all of us at first. Laura was only 19, and trying to take care of a moody sixteen year old and an 11 year old who was completely messed up. She did a great job, and then she died. And Derek said he had to return to Beacon Hills without me, and I didn't want to be alone, so I ran away.

"I wandered from pack to pack, and then I decided home was where the heart is, so I came home to Beacon Hills."

She doesn't say any more than that. Eventually, Scott and Derek go upstairs to talk, and Allison makes some excuse to leave. Grace doesn't seem bothered by this, in fact, she seems relieved. We sit in silence for a while, with the music yelling in the background, and Stiles tries to make some stupid joke to lighten the mood, and Grace smiles politely. I can't take my eyes off her, and I suddenly get what she meant that first night, when she asked whether I liked Allison because she was nice to me or because I liked her.

We all left shortly after that, so that Derek, Cora and Grace could catch up, and I went to sleep dreaming about the girl who had already been through so much, and didnt need my baggage on top of that.


	7. Chapter 7

I wait outside Isaac's locker, kindly pointed out to me by Stiles. I was here to say thank you for trusting me yesterday and sorry for putting him in an uncomfortable position with his Alpha. Derek had told me Scott had spoken to Isaac, saying that Scott's role as Alpha was to protect his pack and Isaac's actions had prevented him from doing so. He was only lucky that i was who I said she was, and not a killer behind a mask like so many people before me who had entered and left these werewolves' lives.

Isaac arrived five minutes before the bell for home room sounded, and he ignored me, instead opening his locker and beginning to pull out the books he'd need for his first class.

"I'm sorry. The position I put you in was unfair, and I know how important a beta's relationship with their Alpha is, and I still did it. That makes it so much worse. But without you, I wouldn't have been able to find Derek and Cora. So, thank you."

He leans his forehead against the locker and sighs, before turning to me and smirking, "All worth it to help a beautiful girl."

I swear I've misheard him. He ignores me, and then calls me beautiful. Is there a full moon tonight? I continue on with my apology, "Living with Laura taught me one thing, caffeine can fix every problem, and Derek told me you were a mocha-with-an-extra-shot-of-caffeine man, so here. I hope it's still hot."

I hand him the drink, and he takes it eagerly.

"Missed out on sleep?"

He nodded, "I kept having weird dreams."

"Lavender."

He looks at me questioningly, "Lavender under your pillow. It's meant to help you sleep better."

He nods, "Thanks, Grace. I'll try it. And, there was nothing to forgive."

He saunters away, and I couldn't help but think of what a dick Isaac Lahey could be sometimes.

* * *

Grace doesn't come to lunch, and Cora says it's because she doesn't want Cora to feel as though she has to choose between herself and Allison.

"What a freaking martyr," Allison mutters.

Stiles quickly turns Cora to him and kisses her, slow and deep, in an attempt to distract her away from what Allison has just said.

Scott glares at the three of them, and they all back down. "I think we need to discuss some rules when it comes to Grace. Rule number one, no one harms her. She's human, and just because she has grown up with werewolves, it doesn't mean she has to be involved with all of us. There hasn't been a threat in months, and when one does, because we know it will, we protect her from it. Just like we'd protect Stiles, Lydia and Danny. Rule number two, we try and keep some distance between her and Allison. The two of them together could end badly. Deal?"

Everyone nods in agreement, and I turn my head away from the group, looking out the window. Outside the weather is nice, and I can see students lying on the lacrosse field in the sun. They look peaceful, and I wish I had their worries. Instead I have to worry about people finding out my secret and protecting people who are dicks. Once, I wish my main concerns could be grades and girls and friends. I guess I'm not destined for a normal teenage life.

"I need some air," I mutter before getting up and going.

I push through the glass doors leading onto the lacrosse field and walk all the way to the edge, away from everyone. I just want to scream, and let out all this built up anger from the last 17 years.

"Hey Isaac, you okay?"

Her voice is soft, and her heart beat is as steady as it can be with a murmur. I turn to her, and I see she has a cigarette in her hand. I raise my eyebrow and make a face. Smoking is disgusting, as far as I was concerned. Camden had gone through a stage of it when he was in sophomore year, and it had made me nauseous.

She blushes, and quickly stamps it out. "I know. It's a filthy habit, especially with my attacks, but it calms me down when I'm on edge and helps me clear my head when I am trying to make a tough decision. I don't do it often; just when necessary."

"What's the decision?"

She sighs, "Honestly? Whether or not to kick the crap out of Allison and her dad."

I snort, "At least you're honest."

She nods slightly, and sits on the grass below her. I join her, lying down. We sit in silence for ages, neither of us quite know what to say after her admission.

"If I had been there, maybe they wouldn't be dead. I am human for Christ sakes, it's against the code."

"If you were there, you would be dead too."

She considers this for a moment, before getting up and storming off towards the student car park. I get up, chasing her.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you, I'm going to kick the crap out of Allison and Chris Argent."

"Knowing if it might have gone down differently if you were there won't change anything, Grace."

Grace slightly falters, and I know I've got her beat.

"You're only saying that because you want to bang Allison and doing so with all the bruises I'm going to make on her won't be as fun. God, you are so dedicated to your Alpha, Lahey. Scott must be proud."

A growl escaped my throat, and remorse crossed her face. She was furious at me for reading her so easily, so she reacted.

"Isaac, I'm sorry. That was totally wrong and inappropriate of me and-"

"Shut up and let's go, Grace. You want to find out? Let's go find out."


	8. Chapter 8

As we ride up the elevator to the Argent apartment, I close my eyes. "I love you mum and dad and Blake and Darren and Alex. Be safe." I can feel Isaac's stare on me as I whisper this, but I'm past the point of caring. I was about to see the family that sentenced mine to death. I was lucky not to be having a full blown panic attack.

The door makes a ping noise and we walk down the hallway, and knock on the Argent door. I knock and I hear Chris Argent shuffle around inside. He pulls open the door, "Hey Isaac. What can I do for you?" Isaac nods his head, signaling we'd like to come in.

"Allison's not home yet, but she should be soon. Do you kids want anything?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know how you live with yourself. How do you sleep at night knowing you've ruined people's lives? My mother and father and three brothers are dead because of _your_ sister! She killed my very innocent family because her head was so far up her fucking ass that she didn't think to ask questions before signing their death sentence. People burned in that house. There were children in that house, and they burnt to death because of your stupid fucking code!"

I hadn't come here intending to unleash like that, and by the time I had finished I was practically screeching. My chest was heaving and my throat had a lump in it. If I made eye contact with either of the men in the room, I knew I would start crying.

"You're the human girl. The one that was staying the Hales when Kate did what she did?"

He doesn't seem angry, and I know he should be furious. In fact, he sounded regretful and almost sympathetic. I nod in response to his question.

"I'm sorry."

"Liar," I spit at him. "Just answer me this. If I was there, do you think they'd be dead?"

He pauses, "I'd like to answer no, they wouldn't be, but this year my father said to me he'd kill his own son to get what he wants. Kate very much took after him."

It's at that moment Allison walks into the apartment. "Dad!" She calls out. When she enters the living room and sees Isaac and me she falters. "Grace, Isaac. Hey."

"We were just leaving," Isaac says.

I nod in agreement, but before I leave I turn to Chris and Allison Argent. "Coming here was a mistake. Me taking out my anger for Kate out on you, it was unfair. It was like how she assumed my family was guilty; wrong. I'm sorry."

I run out the door, with Isaac on my tail.

* * *

She's crying and swearing and shaking, trying to light a cigarette. I have no idea how to calm her down, so I just pull her to my chest and hold her. She tries to push me away, but I hold her even tighter and she finally relaxes. Her shaking stops and her tears soon follow. I hand her my handkerchief, mentally thanking Melissa for constantly telling Scott and I to have one at all times. She blows her nose, and scrunches it in her hand.

"I'll wash it when I get home, which is somewhere I really don't want to go right now. Allison will have told Scott and he will have called Derek and Derek will have a freak attack."

We drive in silence to a diner just outside of Beacon Hills, a place where I used to hang out when I was a fugitive. It was small and if you blinked, you'd miss it. Grace smiled when we walked in, and I smiled back. "You know that is the first time I have seen you smile since Friday."

"It's been a rough few days." She sounds tired, as if she only just realized how rough it has been. We sit in a booth, and a waitress came to take our order. "Hey, kid," said the elderly woman.

"Hey Mags, how's it going?"

"I've seen better days. Are you going to be rude, or are you going to introduce me to your friend?" I blush, and quickly introduce Grace to Mags, and Mags smiles at me. "She doesn't seem to have the sex appeal the blonde one had, but she's a good choice kid." I choke up at the casual mention of Erica, and I can feel pink creeping up my neck and along my cheeks mention of sex with her or Grace. Mags takes our orders and walks away.

"So, does Mags always say what's on her mind?"

"Pretty much."

"Who was she talking about? The blonde girl?"

"Erica Reyes. She was my pack mate and friend. She died earlier this year, killed by the Alpha pack, same with my other pack mate; Vernon Boyd. Derek turned the three of us in an attempt to give us a better life, but it failed. We were attacked by the Kanima and Gerard and the Argents and then the Alpha pack and Jennifer rolled into town. He tried, it wasn't his fault."

She wrapped her hand around mine. "I'm sorry. Losing people is tough. Especially when you're young and they're young."

I look down and around, anywhere but at her.

"Isaac, look at me." Her voice is soft, yet commanding. My eyes finally meet hers. "If you ever want to talk to anyone or run away with anyone or just want someone to be there, call me or find me and I will be that someone."

I squeeze her hand, and she smiles at me. Mags brings us our food and drinks, and we eat in silence. Grace has this look on her face like she wants to ask a million and one questions, but she can't find the right one to ask first, so I start.

"What is with your obsession with peppermint tea?" It's what she ordered when we arrived, and had been slowly sipping in between bites of her burger.

"Peppermint tea is comforting and for clear thinking. But it isn't just peppermint tea I am obsessed with. There's lemon tea, honey and lemon tea, mango and peach tea, cranberry tea, old English, earl grey, black tea. Basically, I am a tea addict."

I laugh at her self proclamation, "Admitting you have a problem is the first step."

She pokes her tongue out at me, and then bites her lip.

"Why did Derek pick you?"

I sighed, I should have known this would come up. It always does eventually. "I was the first one Derek picked, then Erica, and then Boyd. Erica had epilepsy, and once someone filmed her having an episode. She kept trying to do things she couldn't, and Derek saw how miserable she was. He turned Boyd because Boyd wanted friends more than anyone, but he just didn't make them. His sister also disappeared when he was younger, and he blamed himself. Erica and he were so close, and when he died, I knew he was happy. He got to see his two girls again, and he really didn't blame Derek for everything. Derek killed him; the Alphas shoved Boyd on to Derek's claws. He hasn't been the same since.

"Derek picked me because of my father. My mum died when I was young, so it was just my father, my brother and I. My dad started becoming a little erratic after she died, but he never laid a hand on me and Camden. Then Camden went off to war, and was killed in action. Dad snapped and he started being cruel. He used to beat me, and uh, lock me in the freezer. Derek turned me so I'd have a fighting chance. Then the Kanima killed my dad, and Derek took me in. And then Derek threw me out, and Scott and Melissa took me in."

Grace in on my side of the booth in an instant, and wraps her arms around me, pulling me towards her. Her head is buried in my chest and she whispers, "You didn't deserve what that man did to you. Or your mom and brother dying. Or losing Erica and Boyd. You didn't deserve any of it. I am so sorry, Isaac. Some people suck, and some people are amazing and they leave and they take a piece of us with them and I am so sorry you're covered in bruises and missing pieces."

I hug her tighter, and we stay like that for a while. Grace whispers me her secrets, and I hold her tighter until I am scared I am going to break her, so I let go a little, and she whimpers, so I hold her tight again and repeat. By the time we leave the diner and drive back to Beacon Hills, it's dark. Between the two of us we have 5 missed calls from Scott, 1 missed text from Allison, 18 missed calls from Derek and a voice mail from Cora telling me she'd kill me if I didn't bring back Grace soon and in one piece.

"Ah, I long for the day of landlines and landlines only." I laugh, and when we pull up outside the loft, Derek drags me out of the car and slams me against it in an instant. He growls, and his eyes are glowing blue.

"Let him go, Der. It was me. Isaac was babysitting, like a good little Beta. I am the bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks taking advantage of him."

Derek looks at Grace, still growling.

"Derek Hale, do I need to mention the time Laura took us to the beach?"

Derek drops me instantly, "Sorry, Isaac."

Turning to Grace, his voice becomes hard, "You. Inside, now."

"Gladly," she sing-songs. She winks at me, "Goodnight Mr. Lahey."

She walks towards the loft and I can't help but admire the wiggle in her ass as she walks.

Derek groans when she's out of ear shot, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I don't know if he's asking me, or talking aloud. Derek's never been one to admit his weaknesses, and discussing them with me has never been something he does. Even when we lived together, we lived very separately, only gathering for training and when the rest of the pack was over. Saying that, it's not that we didn't bond or we weren't close, we just didn't talk about stuff.

"You're doing fine, Derek."

"Am I? I _abandoned _the girl. I left her and hoped for the best."

He sits on the bonnet of the car I bought with the money I saved up helping out Deaton on afternoons that Scott couldn't. It was a beaten up and messy inside, but it got the job done. I join him, and he sighs.

"Derek, you did the same thing with her that you did with me. You sent her away to protect her. And yes, I know about that. I hated you for a while, but I realized you had the best intentions. You just suck at coming up with appropriate ways to execute them."

He looks at me, and I shit you not, a smile crossed his face, "You've grown up, man. You were an angry and scared little boy not so long ago, but now you're brave and kind and you let people in. I'm proud of you, Isaac."

I poke my tongue at him, "You've been drinking again, haven't you?"

He rolls his eyes and hits me over the back of the head lightly, "No, I'm trying to pay you a genuine compliment, you shit."

We laugh for a moment, "She's like you, Grace is."

"How?"

"She's scared to show weakness. The first night, she did the breathing thing, and she was so ashamed that she did it in front of me. And today, after the Argent's, she tried to push me away when she was crying. She's grown up her entire life around werewolves, and she's got a chip on her shoulder because she thinks she'll never be good enough. Scott told me once Stiles thought the same. Train her. It'll rein her in and make her feel less hopeless."

Derek nods, taking this in, "Told you that you'd grown up. Thanks, Isaac."

He slides off the hood of my car, and begins to walk away.

"Hey, Derek?"

"Yeah, Zac?"

"Thank you, for everything. Even if we were always being hunted, I felt safer with you than anybody. Let people in more, okay?"

He nods, and again I see a hint of a smile crossing his face before he turns to go inside.

* * *

**Hey! Thankyou so much for your reviews! Please keep them up and I hope I am capturing the characters properly! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

"What are they talking about?"

Cora, Stiles and Lydia sat on the couch. Lydia and Stiles had come over to help Cora with Econ, because apparently, "Goddamn Coach Finstock is a nutter and I have no clue what the hell he is on about."

"I am not eavesdropping on Derek and Isaac, G."

"But, Cora," I whine.

She just shakes her head, and the three of them go back to their studies. Defeated, I go upstairs to start my own homework. My English teacher assigned a three page essay on the topic of choice, as long as it related to one of the class's modules from this year. Even with all my moving around, I was at least 2 months ahead of the Beacon Hills curriculum. The only thing I hadn't studied that they had was William Shakespeare's "As you Like it." I had borrowed a copy from the school library and intended to watch the play this evening. I was setting up my laptop to play it when I heard a slight knock on my door.

"Come in!"

Standing in my door frame was Lydia, she looked nervous, although I couldn't understand why. Stiles had given me a run down on all of the pack members and he told her to be a total kickass who was ridiculously intelligent but hid it from everyone. She'd become stronger after being almost strangled to death by the class's previous English teacher/Darach; Jennifer Blake.

"Hey Lydia, what's up?" I smiled at her, trying to make her feel as welcomed as possible.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday…"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"What?"

"I said don't be ridiculous, nothing to apologize for. But what's with the sudden change in heart, if you don't mind me asking? From what I've gathered you're quite open about sex and you don't apologize for who you are, so why?"

"I realized you lost people."

I nodded slowly, "Right, Banshee."

She nods, "And…"

"And what?"

"I get what you mean, about not feeling like you're enough for everyone. I mean, Cora is a kick ass werewolf, and Allison is some super hunter. Us human girls have to stick together."

"You aren't human, Lydia."

"I may as well be," She snaps. "All I do is find the dead bodies. Once, I just wish I could find the body before it was dead. I wish I could help them. Cora once said we were just stupid teenagers cleaning up the mess, and in my case she was right."

"She didn't mean it. And you guys have saved a lot of people as well." I get up and rummage through one of my bags. Derek must have cleaned out the old apartment today, because all my stuff was here. Finally, I found what I was looking for. The Bestiary I had compiled on my own, with stolen information. I pressed a finger to my lips, instructing Lydia to be quiet, and she nods in understanding. I grab a pencil from my desk and write on the inside cover.

"_This is my bestiary. All the information in here is stolen from either packs I've stayed with or hunters. I've gather a little bit on information on Banshees, more than Allison and her dad will have. Take this, study it. Don't tell anyone you have it. Not Scott, or Allison or Aiden. NO ONE."_

She quickly reads what I've written, and nods. And then Lydia Martin hugs me, and I know that's not something she does often, so I return the gesture.

"We'll be the most awesome humans they've ever seen," she grins at me, before slipping the book inside a magazine and heading out the door.

Not even a minute later, Derek was in my door frame.

"Aren't I popular tonight?"

He rolled his eyes at me, "I don't condone what you did."

"As if you wouldn't have done the same, Derek."

"I would have, and that's what scares me. Cora went after Aiden and Ethan after Boyd…Cora and you, you both are too much like me. So, we need to fix that. Cora, get up here."

The brunette was in the door frame in an instant. "New rules; Beacon Hills is permanent. No more moving around, until you both leave for college. Yes, that means you both have to work hard. No more skipping school, either of you. I'm not Dad, or Mr. Fitzgerald, so I don't expect you to treat me like you would them, but I am your brother, and your caregiver, so you will treat me with respect. That means when I say get your ass home, you do it; no questions asked. We train every day, just because there is no threat now, doesn't mean there won't be later. We eat most meals together; we are a family and I am going to make it work as much as possible. So, tomorrow I will go grocery shopping, you can both add items to the list. We buy new furniture, and we paint the place. No more bullshit secret keeping, if you have something to say; say it. If you're having a tough day; say it. I can't read minds. We're going to me more open with each other, and I don't care if that makes you feel weak. We're a pack, we're family. There is no such thing as weak in that. Got it?"

Cora and I both nod furiously.

"Good. Now, do your homework."

Cora runs downstairs, and I watch my play. It was nice, knowing we were going to be a family again. That Derek and Cora were both in this for the long run. But, I couldn't help wonder what the hell did Isaac say to Derek


	10. Chapter 10

**Before you begin reading I want to say I know this is a short chapter but that's because the next one is a pretty big moment for Grace and Isaac and I don't want to post it just yet. Gotta keep you all on your toes a little longer! :P**

* * *

"What the hell did you say to him?" Cora and Grace are on either side of me, ready to attack if necessary. I guess Derek had listened to my advice. Huh.

"Nothing."

Grace rolls her eyes and Cora verbalizes what both girls are thinking, "You're full of shit, Lahey, and you know it."

"Can't you both recognize Derek is trying to do the right thing, and for once in a normal way? Let him take some credit. He cares for the pair of you, isn't that enough?"

Cora pushes off of the locker, and mutters whatever before walking away. Grace lingers, "Thank you, for whatever it was you said. You've really been my knight in shining armour since I arrived."

I just nod, and she walks away. Goddammit, why can't I act like a normal human being around her?

_Maybe because every time you go to sleep, you dream about her. Both clothed and not._

Oh, yeah there was that. It was fickle, I know. After explaining to Grace that I liked Allison, and then turning around a few days later and feeling the same way about her. But how I felt about Grace was different, it was because I like her. Because when she smiles at me, I can't think straight. When she touches me, my skin feels like it's on fire and when I see her, all I can think is sex, right here right now. If I didn't see the difference when she explained it to me in the McCall kitchen a few nights ago, I definitely understood now.

The day went quickly. Trig quickly turned into English, and then English to gym, gym turned into Econ and then lunch. The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, until the final bell sounded and it was time for lacrosse practice. I was making my way to the boy's locker room when I saw Lydia and Grace.

"Hey, are you two coming to practice?"

When Grace's forehead wrinkles in confusion, Lydia explains to her, "Lacrosse practice. Lahey, Stiles, Scott and Danny are all on the team, so we usually go to cheer them on."

She laughs, "Lacrosse? Isn't that kind of a pansy sport?"

"Pansy sport? Nuh-uh. Come check it out, see for yourself?"

"Maybe I will."

"I'll listen for your odd heart beat."

Her cheeks turn pink, and Lydia ushers her outside towards the pitch.


	11. Chapter 11

**I know I said I'd make you wait but I felt too cruel! Here it is!**

* * *

"So, you and Lahey?"

"Are friends."

"Honey, do I look stupid? That was some heavy flirting."

"He likes someone else."

"Ha! So you _do _like him? And, please, he was over the Allison thing as soon as he saw you at that party."

"What's not to like? And you knew?"

"Sweetie, you don't need werewolf senses to realize that."

"Huh."

I'm stunned. Lydia was more switched on than Stiles suggested. She may seem concentrated on one really tiny thing at a time, but she knew everything that was going on, and she kept it to herself. Cora, Allison, Ethan and Aiden joined us shortly after, Aiden and Lydia embarking on a bit of a make out session beside me. The team ran out onto the field and everyone cheered. I watched Isaac as he listened to the Coach's instructions, "Alright, you delinquents. We're going to have a practice, game. Danny, you're team captain. You too, McCall. Danny, you have first pick. Pick anyone you want. Except Greenberg, he's doing suicide runs. Run, Greenberg!"

Danny picks Isaac first, and Scott picks Stiles. After that, I stop paying attention to anyone but Isaac. Lydia was right; I did have feelings for the tall curly haired boy. He was sweet, funny; smart and he got me without me needed to say everything. It helped that he was ridiculously good looking and I could be myself around him. There were no secrets between us, like there would have to be if I was into anybody outside the pack. Yes, sometimes he could make me mad, but that's passion, isn't it? What's the point of being with someone if they can't arise strong positive feelings out of you?

It was stupid, developing a crush after he said he had feelings for Allison Argent, but I couldn't help it. And, he never told me if he figured out what spectrum he like her on. He obviously liked me enough, having embarked on two stupid missions with me, but was that him being a good beta or a friend? God, pack dynamics are so frustrating. It was at that moment Lydia elbowed me in the ribs, "You won't know if you don't put yourself out there."

She was right. So, whenever Isaac scored or made a great pass or tackle, I would cheer as loud as I could. "Go Isaac!" became my mantra for the next hour. I had to admit, lacrosse was not a pansy sport. I didn't realize it could get so violent, for a rich people's game. When it was over, the Coach said his final few words and poor Greenberg could finally stop doing suicide runs. I wonder why Coach hadn't Greenberg so much. Maybe he was secretly in love with his mom and took his anger out on him, like we all though Snape did to Harry for the first 6 novels. The boys went and got their water bottles, taking a moment to cool down before heading back inside to change.

I walked up to Isaac, who was casually drinking from his bottle. He grinned when he saw me, and put the bottle down. I stood on the first seat of the stand, so we were eye level. Around us, all our friends were chatting and laughing, congratulating each other for a game well played.

"You were cheering for me. Still think it's a pansy sport?"

"No, I take it back. I was so wrong."

He laughed, and leaned in a little; smirking. I don't know why I said it. Maybe it was the way he stood, or the way he handled himself, or the way that smirk tugged at his lips and made my heart melt. Maybe I'll never know. But I said it, "I really want to kiss you right now."

I blinked after I said it, and he looked a little shocked too. I could feel Cora, Scott and the twins looking at us, and I knew I was turning red.

"Sorry, that was dumb of me. I'm going to go. Sorry, uh, sorry."

I jumped off the bench, and ran to the bus stop, and I swear I heard Isaac call out my name, but I was too chicken to turn around. God, I am such an idiot sometimes and I need to learn how to keep my stupid fat mouth shut. It was five minutes before the bus arrived, and another 20 minutes before I finally got home. When I walked in, Derek, Scott and Cora are sitting in the kitchen. They fall silent as I enter, making myself a cup of tea and a bowl of noodles. "I know you heard. And I know they told you. It was dumb, okay? I don't want to talk about it. Now, why are you here, Scott?"

"Training."

"Awesome. Let me eat, and we can get to it."

We train for over an hour. Mainly agility stuff because "if someone attacks, you run. Running is always the number one option." Derek devised a plan, saying we'd work on agility 4 out of 7 days, and every other day was combat and strength. Scott said he really wanted to get everybody in on this, because he had to make sure his pack could protect themselves as well. Cora, Scott and Derek pack up to go, but I stay for a little while longer. I had too much aggression and I needed an outlet. I used the punching bag for a while before realizing Scott never left.

"You didn't give him a chance today, Grace. He likes you."

"Scott, I appreciate it. I do. But don't you think if that were true he'd be here himself?"

That pretty much ends all conversation relating to Isaac. "Do you want to do some basic combat stuff then?" I nod, and we go through some of the basics that I've known all my life. My parents always made sure we trained every second day, and when we stayed with the Hales a chunk of the visit went to training and exchanging tips. When I lived with Laura and Derek, Laura trained with me nearly every day. Derek trained alone. It was a thing he did. After his eyes turned blue, he was scared he'd hurt one of us by accident, even when we tried to convince him otherwise.

By the time we're done, I am bruised and exhausted. I lie on the sticky rubber mats, and catch my breath. You learn a lot about someone when you fight them. It's got a certain kind of intimacy a lot of people don't understand. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing sexual about my training session with Scott, but I did learn a lot about him. I learnt how decent he was, because he never took advantage of me when my back was turned. I learnt what a good leader he was, as he helped me correct some of my poorer forms. Basically, I learnt what a great and decent guy Scott McCall is, and that made me feel like shit.

"Scott," I said in between breaths. He was sitting not so far away from me, catching his own breath.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for being a big pain in the ass. For making Isaac betray you and hurting Allison and her dad yesterday. I promise I will make more of an effort and not screw things up for you and your pack."

"Our pack."

"Huh?"

"It's not me and my pack, it's our pack. You're just as much a part of it as anyone else."

"Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, man."

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

Allison gives me a ride home, because today Scott and I drove to school together and he has to go help Derek with training. It's silent, because I can't stop thinking about what Grace said_. "I really want to kiss you right now."_

God, I had wanted to kiss her so bad then too. Does that mean she feels the same about me that I do her? Or was it a mistake?

Lydia is in the back seat, painting her nails. How she manages to in a moving car, I will never know. She bites her lip, "So, why did Gracie leave practice so quick?"

"Ahh...she said something."

Allison turns to me slightly, "what?"

"That she wanted to kiss me."

Lydia is grinning, "Wow, she really does go all in. What'd you say to that?"

I look down to my lap. I know their reactions will be bad, "nothing."

Allison thumps me over the back of the head and Lydia groans from her position in the back seat

"Why the hell not?" Allison demands. The girl could get scary when she wanted answers and she wasn't getting them fast enough, or when she got an answer she didn't like.

"I was shocked, okay? How often does a beautiful girl come up to me and tell me she wants to kiss me?"

Lydia answers for the pair of them, a little too bluntly, "never."

Allison's silent for a while, "You should ask her to the dance in a few weeks."

"I'm sure someone already has."

"She doesn't even know about it, Lahey. She's been at the school less than a week."

"Right. Maybe."

Allison thumps me again, "okay, I'll ask her."

"Good," the huntress grins.

"I thought you hated her."

"No, I don't. I get why she did what she did. I would have done the same if I were her. I actually really like her. She's cool."

"Right."

The two girls continue to talk about the dance and the prospects it might hold, Lydia a little nervously considering what happened to her at the last one, and I am resigned to being silent for the rest of the trip. As they talk about dresses, I think about Grace and the possibility that I might get to kiss those lips I keep dreaming about.

* * *

For the next two days at school, Grace avoids me. She sits with the pack at lunch, but she doesn't make contact with me. We train together in the afternoons, as a pack. Derek mostly makes her work with Stiles, Lydia and Danny, because they're human and won't hurt her and she needs to show them basically fight or die moves she's known all her life.

This frustrates her and me to no end. "_Derek, how the hell do you expect us to survive a fucking werewolf attack if you won't let us train with the _werewolves_" _is something the girl says more often than not. She said it less yesterday because the Argents came, and they taught the humans how to use their weapons. Grace hung back at first, but Allison had made sure to include her and reassure her it was okay every five minutes. I think they ended up coming up with a mutual agreement that whatever Allison's relatives had done was not her fault, and to be ignored when it came to each other. The fact she got to train with Danny and Stiles, two attractive guys frustrated me because they were touching her, sharing close spaces as they sparred. It was stupid, especially considering Danny was gay and Stiles was dating Cora, but who said I was a rational person?

On Friday, Lydia casually tries to bring up the dance, but Grace shot down the prospect of going.

"I can't dance."

Cora snorted at her, "You can't dance? Bull, as if Laura and Derek didn't make you continue gymnastics and dance."

"They did."

"So you can dance."

"No Cora, I can waltz and I can hand jive and I can do every other ridiculous dance under the sun, but I can't dance."

Cora doesn't drop it, "Why don't you want to go?"

She sighs, and looks down. She looks down she doesn't want anyone to see her crying; it's something I've noticed about her. She bites her lip, and her voice is soft, "Dances involve dresses. You remember the last and only time I wore a dress?"

Cora shuts up after that, and all of us are left wondering what the hell happened the last time Grace wore a dress.


	13. Chapter 13

__**Hey, so a lot of you are asking why Grace doesn't want to go to the dance because she has to wear a dress. She doesn't wear dresses because the only time she did, the fire happened. I explained it in chapter 5, but not very well sorry! With my writing I try and leave clues along the way because Grace and Isaac are only really focused on each other.**

**Happy readings! :D**

* * *

_It's hot. Ridiculously hot. And there is smoke everywhere. The little girl is running through the woods, trying to find them. To make sure _they're _okay. She gets to the source of the smoke and she hears it; screaming and burning fills her nose._

_"MUM!" She runs forward, trying to get to the house. She falls and she can't get up. She can't move and she watches them burn. "MUM! DAD! BLAKE! DARREN! ALEX! CORA! DEREK! PETER! LAURA! MR AND MRS HALE? ANYONE!" She can't breathe. It's happening and she's hysterical. "Be okay, please be okay. Please someone be okay?"_

_It fades to black, but shes still sobbing._

_"Poor little, Gracie. Cant even save her own family! The boy she _loves. _What a hopeless, little human. You don't deserve to live."_

That voice. I recognize that voice.

_Peter? _I whisper into the darkness. I am met with growling, fangs and the searing of flesh.

_AHHHHHHHH!_

I wake up in a cold sweat. My heart is racing. I close my eyes and breathe in deep, trying to normalize by heart beat so I don't wake up Derek or Cora. Once I achieve that, I reach over for my phone.

_I hope he's awake._

* * *

My phone is vibrating on the desk in my room. I look over at the clock and it reads, 1:18 AM, SATURDAY. I haven't gone to bed yet, instead opting to stay up and sketch. It's something my dad never allowed me to do, and since I moved in with Derek have spent a lot of nights doing. I answer my phone, trying my best to not wake up Scott and Melissa.

"Hello?"

"Isaac, sorry. It was a mistake. I'm gonna go."

Grace's voice is hoarse, like she's been crying or screaming and it's knocked the strength out of her.

"Grace Fitzgerald, I swear to god if you hang up ill keep calling and of you don't answer, ill wake up Scott and the twins and we will bust into Derek's."

"I-I-I had this awful dream and I just want to see my family, but I don't want to wake up Derek or Cora. They, well, you know how they are."

I'm nodding on my end of the phone.

"Come pick me up, I'll go with you."

I grab a blanket and go sit on the porch steps, not bothering to change from my sweats and singlet. She pulls up in Derek's Camaro 15 minutes later, despite living on the other side of town. Beacon Hills has one gay club, two other clubs and a handful of bars, meaning it did not have the best night life, so at 1:42AM on a Saturday morning, getting across town was easy. I quickly make my way to the car, and she rolls down the road a little before starting the engine. "I guess that answers the question of how you got Derek's baby away without him realising." She's wearing light blue pajama pants with clouds on them and a white long sleeve shirt under an All Time Low band shirt. For the first time since we've met, her hair is out. It's sticking up at all angles and is covering her face. She has red converse on her feet, and I cant help but smile at her appearance.

The radio hums between us, "_if I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told, before we grow too old."_

She nods in response to my question, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be ridiculous. What was the dream?"

"The fire. I was screaming and trying to help but I couldn't move." She pauses, "What if that's how it went down and Laura took the memory away?"

"Have you asked Der?"

She shakes her head. "He wasn't there either. I know that much about him and that day."

We pull up to the cemetery, and I grimace. Too many people I know are buried here; Erica, Boyd, Camden, Mum…Dad. Instead, I try to associate it with some happier memories.

"The first time I ever met Derek was here, you know?"

She shakes her head, and links her arm in mine as she guides me to her parents and brothers. It's cold out, even for her in her layered clothing, and especially me in my singlet and track pants, so the contact is welcomed.

"Yeah, I was working and it was just after midnight. I was digging a grave with the back hoe; actually I think it was Kate Argent's grave, that's why he wanted me to do it then. Then something came and tipped the back hoe over, and I fell in the grave. I didn't know what it was at the time. Derek later told me it was an Omega passing through. I thought I was going to die in that grave. They'd say, "The kid dug his own grave," and it would literally be true. I was…I am claustrophobic…a byproduct of being locked in a freezer. I thought the walls were closing in on me. Derek helped me out."

She nestles into me closer, "You're thinking about the others, aren't you?"

Defeated, I nod.

"Aren't we just the two most put together broken people? Don't be sad, Iz. Be happy. They got to live. From the sounds of it, despite everything, Erica and Boyd were more alive in their time with you and Derek than they were their whole life. They were happy. Camden, well I don't know about him, but if you were my little brother I would be so goddamn proud of you. You made it through the abuse and the heartache and you made him proud. Your dad will be up there, regretting every moment he made you suffer. And if he's not, he'll be furious about the life you've made for yourself, and that's the best revenge. Your mum…she'll just want you to be happy. They all would want you to be happy. They'd want you to remember them, but not be weighed down by their loss. They'd want you to keep moving forward."

I look at her, mouth agape. How the hell did she always know what to say? Was it a gift? We stop, and I realize we're there. The tombstones are dirty, and she wiggles out of her white undershirt without removing other articles of clothing like only girls can, and uses it to wipe the marble clean. It's the first time she hasn't been in a long sleeve, and now I see why. She had burn marks on her forearm. She sees me staring.

"I guess whoever took over from my dad died isn't doing their job."

"My lovely birth mother." That's all the explanation I need to hate a woman who I've never met, or don't even know the name of.

She sits beside the head stone, which details the name of everyone in her family. I stand back, not wanting to disturb her.

'Hey guys. I'm sorry it has been a while. I always think about you guys though. Always. I am living with Derek again, and Cora is alive. Coulda told me that one, Alex, you dick. She's dating a boy here, and he is really sweet and he loves her a lot, so you'd approve."

She continues to talk to her family like they never left. It made my heart sink. It'd been six years and she still seemed like a scared little girl. The one Stiles' dad had told him about, and he passed it on. The Sheriff had found her wandering 8 miles away from the house. She was crying hysterically, saying how she killed them. She wouldn't let anyone but the Sheriff near her until Derek came. Apparently she wouldn't let go of him for hours, clinging to him as they met with police officer, after police officer and lawyer after lawyer and judge after judge. Derek and she shared some kind of connection.

"…And I made friends with this girl named Lydia. She's great, and we're forming this kind of, well not rebel group, but it's going to be either really good or really bad. I can't tell you more than that because Isaac is here and he's a werewolf. He is the best person I have ever met that isn't you guys or a Hale. Lydia's a close second, then maybe everyone else in the pack. But yeah, Isaac is really great. Isaac?"

I snap my head back to her, "Mmm?"

"Come meet them? My family?"

I freeze, "Grace…"

"Get your ass over here, Lahey."

I make my way over to her, and sit beside her on the grass.

"This is Isaac. Isaac, meet my mum; Julia, my dad; Tom and my brothers; Blake, Darren and Alex."

"Hi," I mumble. I didn't visit the graveyard often after my dad died and I stopped working here, but even then I hadn't visited Mum or Camden much. It was too hard. I visited Erica and Boyd once, because seeing them made me regret I was the one to survive. I was the only one to have no hope, and I was the only one of my betas to survive.

"He's just a little shy, is all."

She links her fingers in mine, and she talks to her family for a little longer. It was getting close to 3am, and she kept yawning, and at one point she almost dozed off, "come on, let's get you home." She nods, handing me the keys. We walk to the car, me slightly supporting her. "Don't crash my baby, Lahey." She laughed at her rhyme, before taking her seat in the car.

It wasn't long before we pulled up at the McCall home, and mine I guess, not too long after we left the cemetery. We sat in the car for a moment, Grace yawning again.

"Sleep here tonight. It's late. You can't drive home like this." She nods, "Are you sure? I mean, Melissa won't get mad?" I shake my head, knowing full aware how pissed Melissa will be when she sees Grace in the morning. Scott had told her about the girl's actions whilst in town, something she didn't like. We walk into the house and I lead her by the hand to my bedroom. Once inside, she shivers, before making her way over to my bed. She keeps shivering, even once she is under the covers. "Here, wear this." I say, tossing my lacrosse hoodie at her. She smiles, and quickly slips it on. "Thanks, Iz." I nod, and make myself a nest on the floor to sleep on, "Do you mind...uh, would it be okay if you stayed in the bed as well? I can't sleep without noise and it's not like we can play music so maybe your breathing..."

"If you're sure..."

She rolls her eyes, "Jesus, you're acting like we've never slept together before."

I laugh, and get into the bed beside her. I pull her into my chest, and she nuzzles her head in my neck. "I smell lavender." I laugh, "Shut up and go to bed, G."

"Mhmm. Isaac?"

"Yes, Grace?"

"Thank you."

"Get some sleep, kay?"

It takes a while for her to calm down, obviously still affected by the possibility of a nightmare, but eventually she does, and I get excited that I will wake up with Grace in my arms.


	14. Chapter 14

I wake up, and Isaac is gone. Shit. Did I dream that entire thing? I look around the room, and I recognize it, but it's not mine or Cora's, whose room I occasionally fell asleep in. It must be Isaac's. Downstairs, I hear stern voices. I get up, making my way to the kitchen area where the voices are coming from, "Kid, you know the rules. No girls in beds because they've stayed the night. I let you guys get away with it at the party but..."

"Party? What party?"

"Shut up, can't you see I'm talking to my kid?"

I smile at Melissa's disclosure. She really does care about Isaac, as if he were her own son. If it was Scott with a girl in his bed, he'd be getting the exact same speech.

I make my way around the corner, and see Isaac, Melissa and a man I don't know.

"Good morning, Ms. McCall, Isaac, Sir."

They all nod in response. "Please don't be mad at Isaac, he was just trying to help me out. I had this nightmare about the fire, and I called Isaac and he took me to see my parents and I was way too tired to drive home, so he said I should stay here because me on the roads was a risk. And he was going to sleep on the floor, but I asked him to stay in the bed because I can't sleep in silence, and we weren't about to start pumping music so...please don't be mad at Isaac. He was just being an amazing friend and I'm sorry because I feel like since I've gotten here, I just keep getting him in trouble with the people he loves and that was not my intentional at all."

Melissa looks at me intently as I say all this, and sighs. "Okay, I see. But next time, bring an iPod or something, okay? I don't need to be a grandmother at my age."

Isaac blushes a deep red, while the gentleman beside Melissa glares at her.

"We aren't dating, ma'am."

"Oh. Scott led me to believe..."

I laughed, "Yeah, sometimes he sees what he wants."

At that moment my phone starts ringing. It was Derek. Crap. "Sorry, it's Derek. Hey, Der bear." I say leaving the room. Before leaving I hear the man say, "You're letting a girl who hangs out with Derek Hale to associate with our son and his friend? Are you crazy, Meliss? He's not safe. John's brought him in at least 3 times to be investigated."

I roll my eyes, whoever this guy was he was an ass who I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with. Derek's voice is gruff on the other end, "Where the hell are you?"

"The McCalls."

"Why?"

"Bad dream. Isaac was up. We were hanging out and I fell asleep."

"The fire?"

"...yeah."

The fire dream I had wasn't a one off, in fact just after it happened it was a recurring dream that eventually Laura would just call "You okay?" from her bed. Derek would always come and check on me though. He would never say why, but for some reason I don't think he could sleep until he saw I was okay.

"I want you to start seeing someone again."

That was another post fire requirement. I had to see a psychiatrist once a week for three months. I didn't like it then, and I sure as hell didn't like the idea now. Sitting across from a stranger who pretended they knew the fucking answer to everything, like they understood the pain of a little girl who was lost and without family for the second time in her life.

"I am not seeing some fucking shrink, Derek. I'd rather stand naked in front of a 100 people than see a shrink? It didn't work the last time, and if you make me go I swear to god I will just sit there for the entire hour without saying a word. Don't ever suggest it again."

"I am your guardian."

"And you're also my friend. Or did you forget that?"

I hang up, and go back into the kitchen. I know they've heard the entire exchange, but I am way too pissed off to care. The anger is radiating out of me, and I know if I don't go soon I am going to take it out on one of these people.

"I better go. Thanks for yesterday, Isaac. And thanks for understanding Ms. McCall. And sorry, I don't know who you are."

Isaac cuts the man off, "That's Scott's dad."

I try to size him up, "Derek Hale is a better father to me then you'll ever be to Scott. He's 23 years old and taking care of two 17 year old girls. How old are you? And you-"

Isaac grabs my hand and guides me outside.

"Sorry, pack mentality kicking in."

"You guys feel it as strong as we do?"

"Yep."

"Huh."

"I better go. Thanks again." I say, handing him his lacrosse jumper.

"Keep it. Looks better on you."

I smile, before heading to the Camaro and getting in the driver's seat. I look back at the boy, who is standing on the porch, watching me.

_"You can't even kiss the pup. You're so afraid of your own feelings, you weak little human. Maybe the Argent girl will kiss him, running her hands all over his body. Then you're too late-"_

"Shut up."

I get out of the car and walk up to Isaac, "Hey I forgot something." He looks at me a bit dumbfounded, but then I pull him down by his shirt and kiss him. It's soft at first, like he's waiting for me to back out, and when I don't he begins to kiss me back, and that's when it becomes more hungry and passionate. He runs his hands along my body until they reach my hips, where they stay. My hands are in his hair, twisting in his curls. I break it, taking a breath.

"I knew I forgot something," I smirk before getting back in the Camaro and driving back to the loft.

* * *

I stand on the porch for a moment; shocked. Grace kissed me. Grace _kissed_ me. "Scott!" I call, before running into the house and up to my friend's room.

"Are you up?"

"Its 10 on a Saturday, you better be waking me up for a reason."

"Grace kissed me."

"Get the hell in here."


	15. Chapter 15

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks, Cora. Like I don't feel shitty enough already."

"You're the one that picked a fight with Derek. Don't start with me."

She was right, I had picked the fight with Derek, but that was because that was the only way I could earn his respect. It was stupid, but beating someone showed a sense of power and that's what I needed to get out of Derek's proposed shrink sessions. I'd lost of course, getting my ass handed to me by the older beta turned omega turned alpha turned beta, and that meant I had to see Ms. Morrell, the school counselor and emissary, at least twice a week to talk about my "issues." It was frustrating, and when Derek had me pinned against the mat, he was so damn cocky that he had won. "Your sessions start Monday, Baby G" he had said.

He'd left the loft shortly after, probably to go burn off some more steam or meet up with the girlfriend he had been keeping a secret from Cora and I. Cora had told me about Derek's brief yet intense relationship with Jennifer Blake, who ended up being the Darach, and I was happy that he'd found someone completely unconnected to the supernatural and totally normal and fun loving. Its what he'd needed. The only reason I knew that much because when we redecorated the loft, Cora and I had kept supplying him beer, and his lips got a little loose after a while.

Now, Cora was making fun of me for my stupidity. Derek, in the heat of the moment, had slightly clawed me, and I knew he felt incredibly guilty, but as the loser I wasn't allowed to complain about injury. It was an unwritten rule. So, after failing to thread the needle to stitch myself up, I snapped at Cora. "Fine. I won't tell you about my kiss with Isaac then."

That shut her up, and she left the room. After I managed to finally stitch myself up, only yelling out in pain and frustration a total of four times, Cora walked back in with Lydia and Allison. "Hey guys, excuse the blood. Cora, did I do it okay?"

"You know the rules."

"Ugh, fine. Allison, did I stitch myself okay?" I ask, turning to the huntress. She nods, and I smile. "So, whats happening?"

"Well, you kissed Isaac. I called in reinforcements since I am pretty crap at girl talk."

I nod, and quickly clean up the lounge area. I run upstairs and change, slipping on Isaac's lacrosse hoodie. It was lame and so stereotypical teenage girl, but I didn't care. It smelt like Isaac and Isaac smelt like home and general safeness and it put me at ease.

I run down the stairs two at a time, and when I sit on the couch there is pizza and ice cream on the table. I grin, having not having many girl friends in my life, this was perfect. Lydia is the first to speak, "what the hell happened last night?"

I launch in to the story, about not being able to sleep and wanting to visit where my family was buried, but not wanting to wake up Cora or Derek. I told them about how I drove to Scott and Isaac's, and how Isaac was waiting on the porch in his pajamas and with a blanket. I told them how guilty I felt when I realized he had people he loved in that cemetery too and how kind he was when I kind of lost it and introduced him to my family. I told them how he drove us home, and said I had to stay so I wouldn't kill myself on the drive home. I told them how he gave me his hoodie, and that he was going to sleep on the floor, but I protested and we stayed in the same bed. I told them about the morning's events, and how I was in the Camaro when I realized how much of an idiot I was. I told them how I kissed him, and how goddamn right it felt. By the end, the three girls were saying "awe" and "yay" because that's all that could be said. We continued to chat about boys and school and everything under the sun until Allison's phone rang.

"Hey Scotty."

"Yeah, I know. We're at the loft now."

"Shit okay, we'll go."

She hangs up quickly, 'Lydia and Cora we have to split. A certain male is on his way over to woo our darling Grace."

Before I could say anything, they were out the door. I sighed, and put on the Newsroom until Isaac came over.


	16. Chapter 16

**Since Chapters 15 and 16 are rather short I thought I'd post them together! There are some "The Newsroom" references in the upcoming chapters (well this one and then like a couple at the end) so just a spoilers heads up :) PLEASE FAVOURITE, FOLLOW AND REVIEW!**

* * *

When I enter the loft, she's sitting on the couch watching tv, her knees tucked under her chin and her arms wrapped around them. She's surrounded by empty pizza boxes and ice cream cartons, and when she spots me she says, "Cora invited Allison and Lydia over. They just left." I nod, and join her on the couch.

"What are you watching?"

"The Newsroom. It's the episode where Elliot's covering Egypt and everyone gets injured and Nina Howard tries to hurt Will through Mac."

"I've never seen it."

She turns to me, shocked. "Jesus Isaac, do I need to give you television reeducation?"

I laugh, and just shake my head. I sit beside her. The entire time we were watching the show, Grace had a soft smile on her face. When her favourite parts came on, she would tap me on the knee and lean forward with anticipation. "God, you're beautiful."

She rolled her eyes, "Liar."

I pull her onto my lap, so she's straddling me, "Accept the compliment, Fitzgerald." I growl, sitting up to kiss her, our lips mashing together. I trail kisses to her jaw and then down her neck, and she moans softly. I kiss and suck until I leave a hickey, and I look up at her through my eyelashes, and she grins. Her hands cup my cheeks, as she resumes kissing me. I hear the slamming of car doors and I sigh, "Derek's here."

She gets off of my lap, and goes to the kitchen. When Derek walks in she calls out, "Hey D!"

"Grace, Isaac." Grace comes out with a cupcake as a peace offering. "I'm sorry for being such a brat. I know you have my best interests at heart. I love you for caring. You're the best." She wraps her hands around his neck, and pulls him into a hug. "You're such a dork, kid." He whispers into her neck.

"Takes one to know one" she retorts.

"I'm gonna go upstairs. Behave."

"I won't do anything you haven't done today! Also, Cora and I want to meet the mystery woman dating our big bro."

"Keep dreaming."

She looks down, suddenly silent. "I do. Every night."

Derek's face drops, "G..."

"I'm fine, dork. Go."

He lingers for a moment longer, "She's not making you watch the Newsroom, is she?"

"Hey! It's a good show with realistic characters who are kick ass in their professional life but fucking hopeless in their personal life and you can't deny that sounds like a few people we know."

Derek rolls his eyes in response to the girl, but is grinning like a lunatic as he does it. "Whatever, I'm going upstairs. No more making out on the couch."

As Derek heads upstairs, Grace grabs my hand and drags me onto the floor. "He didn't say anything about making out down here."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, I am staying with my grandparents for the next few days and I don't know if I'll have internet connection while I am there. Stay with me, I'll definitely post again tomorrow, but after that it's a little unclear until like Wednesday. Please forgive me!**

* * *

It's been two weeks since the night that Isaac came over. Two weeks since he asked me to be his girlfriend. Two weeks of seeing Ms. Morrell, who is actually really cool. Two weeks of training. Two weeks of secret human meetings and two weeks of bad dreams.

It's safe to say, it's been a hectic two weeks. I spend lunch with the pack, and then when the boys have lacrosse I go watch them train, usually doing some homework as I do. When they don't, I see Ms. Morrell. I know on her end she feels like she has to pull teeth to get me to answer questions, but it's been a fun game. I told her about the dreams, leaving out the new part of Peter's taunting and the general fact his voice is criticizing every decision I make. I tell her about how the Argents aren't so bad, despite some of them being nut jobs. And I tell her how that conclusion makes me feel guilty, like I'm betraying my family and Tahlia and everyone who died in that fire. I tell her about how happy Isaac makes me, and how glad I am to be a part of the pack. I tell her about our secret human meetings, because despite being Scott's emissary's sister, she didn't really interact with our pack. Lydia, Danny, Allison, Stiles and I had made a group decision to tell her, and despite Stiles' protest, he finally gave in. She's been pointing us in the right direction, and it's always good to get the opinion of someone much more experienced than we are. We made a pact to keep it from the others, and we try and figure out ways we can help them without messing it up more. We also try and help Lydia figure out how to be a Banshee and sometimes Allison trains us. Then, we have training every day, we made training late because almost all supernatural show downs happen at night, and we promised all our parental figures that school work and jobs would come first, so training ends up taking place at 9pm most days. I visit my family most mornings; alone. After that first night, I felt terrible bringing Isaac along, so I go alone.

Isaac has been amazing. We spend most afternoons together doing homework, usually with some member of the pack. In the few moments we've had alone, we talk. Sometimes it goes further than that, and it ends up being hot and heavy make out sessions with hands running everywhere. I smile at the thought, and beside me he smirks, knowing exactly what I am thinking about. He cups my face, and kisses me softly and sweetly.

_"Aw, the little human has found a pup. How adorable. I wonder how Derek will react."_

Isaac looks at me, "You okay?"

"Always."

"Get a room you two." Stiles calls out from down the table. We're sitting at lunch. Everyone is here for once, no one having gotten lunch time detention, practice or secret werewolf business to attend to.

"Yeah." Aiden seconds.

"Excuse me, I walked in on you and Lydia last week, and you're telling us to get a room?" Isaac retorts. I laughed. He had gone to Lydia's to pick me up, but I had left and we had just missed each other. The poor kid copped an eyeful of Lydia and Aiden going at it.

"We did have a room. And don't act like you didn't love it, Lahey."

Isaac rolls his eyes before turning to me, "Whats the go for today?"

"Ah, I have to see Morrell after school. And then I have to be at Lydia's at like 8, something about my wardrobe needing updating."

Lydia turns to me, "Grace, honey, the jeans and baggy sweater look suits you, but you need something to show off that figure of yours. I'm sure Lahey would like to see a bit of skin, if he hasn't already."

I throw a french fry at her as Lydia says, "Well that answers that question." Aiden catches it in his mouth, and turns to kiss the strawberry blonde.

"Good doggy." Stiles says, and everyone groans at his bad werewolf humour.

"I happen to like the way Grace dresses. She looks beautiful," Isaac says to Lydia, and all the guys groan and all the girls aw. "I have lacrosse after school. I can drive you home after? Scott and I came to school separately today."

"Yeah, that sounds great. Derek's with Hallie today, so it'll just be you, me and Cora."

"Actually it's just you two. I have work today."

"Even better," Isaac says, low enough so only I can hear.

_"Oooh, better be careful, kid. I think the pup has something in mind for the pair of you."_

Go to hell, Peter.

What even happened to the creepy Hale uncle? No one had mentioned him, and last I knew he was alive and in a home for the terminally ill. I looked at Cora, "Hey. Whatever happened to Uncle Peter?" Everyone stops what they're doing, and Lydia gets up and storms off, with Aiden and Allison close behind her.

"With any luck, the asshole rolled over and died," Stiles mutters.


	18. Chapter 18

Goddamn my foot in mouth disease. Lydia hadn't spoken to me all through Legal, and Stiles wouldn't tell me what he meant by his comment, continuously reassuring me he meant nothing. The final bell sounded, and I made my way to Morrell's office. I passed Lydia on the way, "Are we still on for today?"

She nods, "Kick ass humans, remember?" She walks away, and I make a mental note to grovel for her forgiveness the next time I see her. Isaac appears behind me, "It's not your fault. Derek should have said something. Peter was the Alpha that he came back to tame, the one who bit Scott."

"And killed Laura." My voice cracks, and is totally alien to me, like the words I'm speaking aren't being said by me. Isaac looks at me panicked, and everything starts spinning. "I have to go see Morrell. See you later."

I stumble away from the defeated boy, and walk to Morrell's office, bumping into lockers and people on my way. "Hi, Grace. How are you?"

"Peter's alive," I croak out.

"Yes, Peter Hale is alive."

"What did he do to Lydia?"

"He attacked her, and then when he died he used her as a connection between here and there. He abused her basically, toying with her emotions and haunting her dreams. She doesn't remember, but it was bad. She forced Stiles, Scott and Allison to fill her in on what happened. It was bad."

"He killed Laura."

"Yes, he did."

I look at her, feeling the colour drain from my face. I run to her trash can and vomit, the contents of my lunch spilling out of me. It hurts my throat, but it's better than crying. Peter killed Laura. He bit Scott. He tortured Lydia. Now he was hounding me. What the hell did he want?

_"You finally figured it out. Well, mostly. Better figure it out before the clock runs out."_

I pinch the bridge of my nose, breathing in. Morrell hands me some water, and I gulp it down greedily.

"Laura was like a mother to you, wasn't she?" The guidance counselor's voice is soft and kind. I look up at her, and there is concern in her eyes. I nod. "When my parents died, it was in their will that I had to be looked after by a Hale if my brothers weren't around. Laura took that responsibility seriously. She organized her university schedule around us, and withdrew from Columbia to go to the community college. I always felt so guilty for that, and she always said it was a decision that didn't need any thought. Laura was there for all the awkward teen stuff. I remember her giving me the birds and the bees talk, and Derek was being a dick and acting out everything behind her. She got so mad." I laughed at the memory. Laura yelled at Derek for at least an hour, saying that he ruined her big talk and she revealed that she'd written out a whole speech and had been practicing it and everything. Laura was always doing stuff like that. She worked a lot, but she was always there as well. The three of us got a lot from the insurance company, and so that paid for stuff like the apartment, but Laura had put a lot of it away so Derek and I could set ourselves up for college and travelling, something Laura believed was a must, and for apartments and stuff. Everything else was worked for; including the Camaro that the three of us had saved for.

"I loved her so much. I knew she was dead, but to find out it was Peter. Her uncle. Its just…"

"How'd you find out?"

"Derek. When we didn't hear from her, he assumed the worst. And then he told me he was coming back here without me, I got so mad. I ran out the door. I never really got a chance to be upset about Laura, I guess."

Ms. Morrell nods, "Which explains that reaction." I liked this woman, and I felt guilty for not wanting to see her in the first place. She always just said it like it was which I liked. She never sugar coated things with me, like I knew she did with other students. I respected her for that.

There's a knock at the door, and Isaac appears in the door way. "Hi, sorry for interrupting. I was just, after how you left, I was worried. I couldn't stop thinking about it and Coach was getting pissed with me cause he kept hearing me ask Scott if he thought you were okay and so he told me to "go check on your bloody girlfriend, Lahey. You're fucking with my plays" so here I am." He rubs the back of his neck, and Morrell just laughs at his impression of Coach Finstock.

"We're done for today," and she hands me a container of Mountain Ash. "It's supposed to help."

"Thanks, Ms. Morrell. And for a shrink, you're not so bad."

She smiles, a kind and genuine smile, and says "For a high schooler, you aren't so bad either."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, make sure you go back and read the last few chapters! For the last few days I have posted twice a day! So if you've missed it, check it out! :)**

* * *

As Grace and I do our homework, I trail kisses along the back of her neck, "You're distracting me."

"That's the point."

"Isaac…"

"Fine." I go back to my own homework, but my mind wanders off. The fact that Grace isn't a werewolf has been playing on my mind lately, and I want to ask why. She's lived with them her whole life, and I am sure if Derek and Laura wouldn't give her the bite, one of the packs she met in her travels would have. She groans, and throws her homework across the room in anger. "I hate everything." I laugh at her, and she pouts.

"You're dying to ask something."

"What's the mountain ash for?"

"Apparently it's supposed to keep my dreams at bay. I told her about the lavender, and she thought Mountain Ash would keep supernatural dreams away."

"She thinks they're supernatural?"

Grace shrugs, and gets up off of her bed. We had been doing English homework for over two hours, and she had finally finished the essay she had to do. She ended up picking As You Like it, something about the family dynamics in it. "I have to make dinner for Cora and Derek. Are you going to make Scott eat alone again? He said Melissa was working tonight."

"Yeah, I should probably go home. I'll hang out until you're done, and then drive you to Lydia's?"

She nods, and skips down stairs. She was wearing yoga shorts and my lacrosse jumper, something she had claimed as her own since I lent it to her that night she called. God "sex right here right now" was all I could think seeing her like that. In our short but eventful relationship, there had been no clothes removed. Grace wanted to take things slow, and I agreed, because I wanted whatever she wanted. I was her first kiss, she'd told me a few days after we started dating, and she was nervous. I told her that was fine and that we'd go slow. She then asked me if I had been with anyone in that way before, and I told her I had, but there were no feelings attached. She wasn't shocked, and then kissed me deep and trailed kisses to my ear. "That's fine, but you're mine now." I remember a shiver running down my spine as she said that. God, how I wanted her, and today was no different. I groaned in frustration, and followed her downstairs. Music is playing, as usual, but today she is dancing while she cooks, singing along to the words, _"Everybody! Put up your hands, say I don't wanna be in love, I don't wanna be in love."_

I watched her, like I did that first day I found her singing in the music rooms, when she spun and saw me, she stopped. Her lip was trembling, "Laura's dead. Peter killed her."

I was by her side in a heartbeat, wrapping my arms around her. "Why," she's sobbing now. Since we've been together, I started to break down the walls she had built, and she started to break down mine. She was okay with crying in front of me now, but pretended she didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned it later, baby steps. "Why does everyone I love die? You can't die, Isaac. You just can't."

"I'm not going anywhere, babe. You're stuck with me, I'm sorry."

I rock her in my arms, tracing circles in her back with my fingers, until she calms down and goes back to making dinner.

_I love you, _I want to say, but I don't, because the words might scare her off.

"You lied before; when I said you wanted to ask something. It wasn't about the Mountain Ash, or Laura. You were going to ask why I haven't asked someone to turn me. And don't look so shocked that I can read you."

I try and neutralize my face, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want."

"No, it's fine. It was in the will, unwritten of course. My parents didn't want me turned unless I was young and dying. It's a wish I intend to respect."

"Well, isn't that sweet." She freezes at the voice, and when she lunges I miss. She pulls a dagger from god knows where, and puts it at Peter's throat. "You killed her!"


	20. Chapter 20

Derek walks in and acts instantly. Isaac is trying to pull Grace off of Peter, but she won't budge. "Let go, Isaac! He killed her and now I'm going to kill him!" Her voice is fierce and full of raw emotion; anger mixed with sadness and hate.

Peter is no help, egging the girl on, "Come on, kid. Do it. Kill me." Derek rips Grace from him, and Isaac mutters thanks, "Go. Take her somewhere. I'll deal with it."

Isaac drags the screaming girl out of the loft, and to his car. He lets her light up her cigarettes, despite hating the habit and the taste of it on her lips when she kissed him. It was her first since the first day with Morrell, and he had that to be thankful for that at least.

"You should have let me kill him."

"You wouldn't have done it."

"Fuck you."

"Not being able to kill someone is a good thing, G."

"Is it?"

He pulls her so he's leaning against his car and she's between his legs, head on his chest. "When I first turned, we were trying to deal with the Kanima situation. It was either going to be Lydia or her ex-boyfriend, Jackson. The plan was to eliminate the threat. We tested Jackson and he passed, so we tested Lydia and she failed. The venom from the Kanima had no effect on her. I was totally okay with killing Lydia. The thought of killing her was fun, y'know? I thought I was doing the right thing. We broke into Scott's to try and do it and everything. I think I could have killed Lydia and been okay with it. You know how much that thought sickens me now, Grace? Forget the fact that she wasn't even the Kanima, I could have taken her life and lived with myself. I thought I had a right to, after what my dad did to me, but I didn't. I don't. I have never killed anyone in my life. Scott's made sure of it. He always tries to do the right thing. To sort out conflict with words instead of plots to kill. I think the only time I've seen him be remotely violent was when he threw Mountain Ash at Gerard and then Stiles hit him with a car. Or the time he beat the crap out of Jackson for being all creepy Kanima I want you to Allison."

She's silent, looking up at him through her eyelashes, "Asshole days?" Isaac admitted to her that he was a cocky prick when he turned. Had no respect for anyone or anything and was totally fine with having questionable morals, it was why he'd slept with so many girls and done other things he'd rather not think about.

"Asshole days."

She looks up at him, with the utmost affection and adoration in her eyes. It's what he used to see when his mother looked at him and when Melissa and Scott look at him now. It's a feeling that will never get old and one that makes him want to live.

"I know humans don't have anchors. I know it's a werewolf thing. But, if I were a wolf, I think you'd be my anchor."

"I couldn't stop you from trying to kill Peter."

"You did. I kept hearing your voice through the rage. Even if Derek hadn't walked in, I think you could've stopped me."

And that was the biggest compliment she or anyone could have given him ever.

* * *

"You come back into _my _home and threaten the people I care about, huh? You think you can come and go as you please and not have consequences. You're lucky I stopped her. You're lucky I'm not killing you myself."

Derek's furious. Grace was going so well until he came back into her life. Ms. Morrell had called him after their session today, saying that she was worried Grace might do something to herself. That's why he'd come home early, to check on her. He knew Isaac would be with her, and that she wouldn't do anything while he was here, but there was usually an hour gap between his getting home and Isaac leaving. An hour was a long time to do something that you may regret.

"Hey, she attacked me. Not my fault you can't keep your little follower on a leash."

Little Follower was something Peter had called Grace since she was old enough to have a crush on Derek. It was cute, the fact she looked up to him so much. It was her crush which had kept him attached during those tough times. That's why he always checked on her when she had nightmares and when she was having trouble at school, because it made him not want to let her down. It drove him to be better. Derek glares at his uncle, "Get out."

"I thought I might stick around actually. See this new training that I've been hearing about."

"You've been following them?"

"No, I drove by the school and I heard them talking about it. They're not very quiet about it. You're lucky you and Chris are buddies now."

"You stay away from her, okay? All of them."

"Well, you're no fun."

"Peter."

"Fine, fine," the older Hale says with a wave of his hand. He'll have to come up with a new plan to get at the Fitzgerald girl. Thank the lord he was great at contingency plans.


	21. Chapter 21

"You're late," Lydia says when I walk through the door. Danny, Allison and Stiles are already in the girl's bedroom, sitting on various things and in various positions.

"Sorry," I mutter. It had taken Isaac another half an hour to calm me down after the incident in the loft. We drove around town; the windows open, the wind a cool reminder against our skin. Music was playing softly in the background. Isaac had picked up on my fear of silence well before I said it in front of him when trying to get Melissa to spare him. He's always had music playing, or he's always chattering away. When we finally pulled up in front of the Martin house hold he took my bag and stole my cigarettes.

"Isaac!"

"Nope. You're not going to die this way. You're going to die at the ripe old age of 93, having lived a long life because you quit this nasty habit at 17."

"It's my anesthesia."

"Yeah, well maybe I can be your anesthesia instead."

"You're taking on a lot of responsibility there, kid. You sure you're up for it?"

"I walked up to you, remember?"

I turn to walk away but he seizes my wrist and pulls me to him; kissing me deep. His hands are cupping my face to hold me to him and I moan a little into the kiss. He lets me go, "Have fun." I walk up to Lydias house and throw a little wave at Isaac over my shoulder. He grins and gets back in the car.

It was an unspoken rule that I would be in charge of these meetings, because of my extensive history with the supernatural. I would use this to my advantage today. "We're going to focus on why Lydia became a Banshee today. I think it has something to do with…with the guy I mentioned at lunch today. You've been keeping something from me and that's fucked up this whole process. I'm sorry Lydia, but you're gonna have to talk about it."

Allison looks at me, and I shit you not, she growls. "Lydia doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want."

"Yeah? We'll he's back. So, she better get used to it."

Stiles groans and Danny looks lost. He must know as little as I do, or less. I felt a little sorry for Danny. He didn't really want to be here. I don't think he really cared whether or not Ethan was a werewolf, or that there were supernatural things running around. He just wanted to get on with his life with Ethan. He came though, never missing a session and actively participating. I think the more we worked, the more he became interested; the more he wanted to be here. "Look, I think if Grace says it's important, it's important." I smile at the boy, and look back at Lydia. "It's up to you, hon."

The girl tells her story, and if I didn't have a reason to kill Peter before, I sure did now. There were parts she couldn't tell, and Stiles took over for those parts. He really adored the girl, and so when things were off with her, he took note. It was shit what Peter did to her. He abused her in a way that would always leave marks on her. She fell for him, and he manipulated her to no end. He closed her off to love. It was only lucky that Stiles was there to remind her of what good love is, and eventually Jackson helped her see that too; how powerful her love was.

"Well, if we're sticking with the belief that Banshees are made and not born, that would definitely be the traumatic event that would kick it off. I am so sorry, Lydia. Peter…he was always a prick, but I didn't realize."

"It's whatever."

Danny gets up, "Ethan's wondering where I am. Training starts soon, maybe you should take tonight off Lydia?"

"Do I look like I'm made of glass, Danny? If anything this is more of a reason to learn how to fight."

Lydia drives me back to the loft, Allison and her in the front seats with me in the back. We get to train with the wolves tonight. I fight Derek, because I know he won't go easy on me and I have to find a way to get rid of all that negative energy. My injuries from our last sparring lesson have just healed, and tonight with the threat of Peter around, he isn't hesitating. Peter hangs around and watches us, and when we finally retire for the evening, he calls out to me.

"Grace, a word?"

Everyone in the room freezes, and I signal for them to go upstairs. "I'll be fine." Isaac stays by my side, and I kiss him on the cheek. "Go. I'll meet you in my room." He stares for a moment, "I love you, Grace." His voice is soft, and it's the first time he has said those words. I bump my hip with his, "You're not so bad yourself, Iz." He looks at me, and goes a deep red and rubs the back of his neck, "Sorry. That was way too fast and-"

"Shut up, Lahey. I love you too." He grins, and follows the others upstairs.

"Cute. No longer a Derek fan?"

"Fuck you," I growl.

"I bet you'd love too."

"What do you want?"

"There's the dance next week. It's a full moon. I need your help."

"Like I'd help you."

"I think you would if it meant keeping the pup alive."

In our first session, I had asked Morrell whether Derek or Cora or Scott or anyone was allowed to know what we talked about. She said no, but Derek had asked her to address certain issues. She said she'd try to not give too much away. Then, she asked what I had done the last two years. "Mostly travel to be with other packs."

"Did you ever try to find your birth parents?"

She asked the question without looking up. "Yes. My mother is now happily married with three kids under four and my father died in a motorcycle accident a week before I was born. Back then, when she first had me, she said I reminded her of him so much that she hated me. It's why she burnt my arms. She had post natal depression apparently."

"So you spoke to her?"

"I had dinner in her damn house with her damn kids and her damn husband."

"So you haven't forgiven her?"

"Ma'am, with all due respect that woman abandoned me and it's hard to forgive someone for that."

"But then you got to be with the Fitzgeralds."

"And now they're dead too."

After that conversation, I smoked four cigarettes in 10 minutes waiting for Isaac to get out of lacrosse practice. When he saw me, he dropped his stuff and wrapped his arms around me and I felt safe. I think I loved him from that moment. He gave me this feeling that I hadn't had in a long time, and I loved him so god damn much for it. Now my weakness was being used against me for Peter's benefit.

"Help me kill Scott, and become Alpha again, or I kill the Lahey boy. I'll even tell you where you were when the fire happened!"

"You know?"

"Of course I do. I make it my business to know things I can use against people."

"You wouldn't hurt Isaac."

"I killed flesh and blood. Killing Isaac would be a piece of cake."

"If I help, you leave the others alone. You make a pack on another continent and never harass anyone upstairs again."

"I can do that."

"I'll help you."

"I knew you would."


	22. Chapter 22

When she comes upstairs, Grace is quiet. She avoids eye contact with everyone, particularly Scott, and goes straight to her room. Isaac is there, waiting for her like he promised. "What did Peter want?"

"Can we not talk about that psychotic murderer?"

The boy nods profusely, and she sighs. He's lying on her bed, with his head propped against the headboard. She sits on the end of the bed, not looking at him. Her heartbeat is so goddamn loud, and she knows he can hear it. She has to do this though. Just because she agreed to Peter's terms doesn't mean that Isaac is free from his wrath. She has to protect him. She must.

"Grace, are you okay?"

She sucks in a breath, "Isaacwecantdothisanymore."

He laughs, "Slower. Pronounce those words." He cups her face, but she can't look him in the eye, because she's already feeling guilty for the pain she's about to inflict.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't do us anymore."

"Grace, does this have something to do with Peter?" He's not looking at her, afraid of what he'll see in her eyes. Pity probably, it's what he saw in Lydia's eyes in freshman year when she rejected him. "No. Look, Isaac I can't _pretend _like I am in love with you."

There is venom in her voice. She is trying to make him hate her, because that way he'll be angry instead of sad and as far as she is concerned that is so much better.

"Oh…is there someone else? Is it Derek?"

She forces a laugh, mocking him. "No. It's not Derek. It's an Alpha I met while travelling. I was using you to make him jealous, and he is. And," She leans in, whispering into his ear, "Why have a _beta _when I can have an _Alpha?"_

"I understand." He croaks out, getting up and beginning to walk out the door. Her heart is breaking with every step he takes.

"Isaac?" Her voice cracks, and he thinks maybe this was a cruel practical joke on her behalf, like when Will buys the Tiffanies ring for Mac when he finds out the team is investigating him. God, she even has him referencing her stupid favourite show.

She looks at him; cold and calculating, channeling her inner Donna from _Suits._

"I am not apologizing for who I am and how I feel."

* * *

"Scott, can we go?" Having the best hearing out of everyone, the true alpha already knows what's happened, and he knows that Grace wouldn't hurt Isaac without good reason. Peter is standing in the corner, watching it all play out. There is desperation in his voice, "Please, Scott?"

"Yeah, sure buddy."

They're back home within 20 minutes, and Isaac runs to his room as soon as they step in the house. Melissa walks out from her bedroom "What's wrong?"

"Grace broke up with Isaac."

Melissa sucked in a breath. Melissa had known Grace's mother, she had helped her with a case she'd been working. Julia Fitzgerald was usually the prosecutor for the state. This particular crime involved a death, and Melissa had helped Julia understand the medical evidence and the kind of pain the victim was in. She had liked Julia a lot; she could see a lot of her in Grace. Melissa also knew Grace's birth mom. She was working at the hospital when the girl had come in; barely 18. Melissa had just turned 22 and Scott had just been born. The girl was hysterical. Melissa hated to say it but she wasn't surprised when Grace was brought back into the hospital with her burns. She was only glad that Julia had been kind enough to take her in.

In the short time Grace and Isaac had been dating, Grace had been over at the McCall house a total of 5 times. One of those times, Melissa had to get to work, and Scott and Isaac were at lacrosse practice late with the car. The girl had come to her rescue, and when they pulled up to the hospital Grace said to Melissa, "I know you probably don't like me. I have caused him more trouble than I am worth, but I swear to you Ms. McCall; I would never in a million years hurt Isaac." Melissa didn't have to be a werewolf to know that Grace wasn't lying. Hell, she knew that Grace was in love with Isaac from that day where she caught them in bed together.

"I know, honey. And I don't hate you. You told off Scott's dad because you care about him and Allison's dad because you're loyal to your family. I can't hate you for that."

That's why Melissa couldn't understand the girl's decision now.

"What did she say?"

"That there was someone else."

Now Melissa knew that Grace was lying. She pulled her biological son into a tight hug, "Go upstairs and be with him. I'll make hot chocolate and then we can watch movies."

Scott does what he's told, and goes upstairs to Isaac's room. He can hear crying, and it breaks his heart. He's never heard Isaac cry before, not even about his dad. He wasn't sure how to handle it. Scott had never been good with crying. When Stiles' mom had passed away, he awkwardly patted Stiles shoulder and kept saying it would all be okay, but it wouldn't. He had lost his _mom _for crying out loud. His next approach was to distract Stiles with video games and comic books, and that seemed to work okay. That approach didn't work with his Mom when she and his dad were fighting though. She wasn't into video games or comic books, so he tried to keep the house tidy, because that's what he thought his mom wanted. He would vacuum the house, wash the dishes and do the laundry. He even tried to make mac and cheese, but that only made her cry more.

With Isaac though, he wouldn't stuff up. He knocks on his best friend's door, and enters before Isaac has a chance to make up some excuse about why Scott shouldn't come in. He sits beside Isaac on the bed, and wraps his friend up in his arms. 'I know it sucks. I know it hurts. Just breathe, Iz. Breathe." Black veins then appear on Scott's skin, taking away a little of Isaac's emotional pain. He can't do much, but it lessens the weight of wretched sadness on Isaac's chest.

"I told her I love her."

Scott sighs, "I know."

"She said it back."

"I know."

"There's someone else."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You think she's lying?"

"I don't know what to think."

Isaac nods, and buries his face into Scott's neck, tears down his cheeks.

* * *

Cora's pacing the living room floor. She can hear her best friend upstairs; crying. Grace was always a martyr, giving up things she wanted for the sake of the greater good. She thought she was doing the same thing when she broke up with Isaac. And with Peter coming into their lives again, the two things couldn't be a coincidence.

"I don't like it, Der. He comes and she breaks up with Isaac. Have you seen them together? It's sickeningly adorable. Ten times worse than Allison and Scott and me and Stiles combined. I think…I think she's his mate. There is this ridiculous connection between them. I cant explain it but-"

"I know, Cora. As much as I hate to admit it, I know."

"You have to talk to her. The two of you, you have this bond. Grace and I, we're close but not like you two. Talk to her."

Derek cant though. He feels too guilty for letting it get this far, for letting Grace fall so hard. He feels guilty for leaving her behind a year ago. He feels guilty for not being with her six years ago when the house was burning. All he feels when he sees her is this gut wrenching guilt, "I can't. Sh-she hates me."

"Bull. G could never hate you. She thinks the sun shines out of your freaking ass."

The loft door moves and Peter appears in its place, "Is the littlest Fitzgerald still crying? My, my. Maybe I should show her what it's like to-"

Derek's across the room in a second, "Finish that sentence and you'll wish you were dead."

"Touch-y," Peter murmurs, shaking out of Derek's grasp and sauntering across the room.

"Did you say something to her?"

"I have better things to do than meddle in the affairs of seventeen year olds."

"You didn't have issues with Lydia."

"And I have learnt the error of my ways. Is this interrogation done? The games on and my cable is out." Peter positions himself on the couch; feet on the table and the game dancing on the tv. If Peter had any involvement they weren't going to find out until it was too late. They would have to play defence, but when it came they would be ready.


	23. Chapter 23

Last night I wasn't able to sleep, I kept playing over my break up with Isaac. I waited for the loft door to slam to have my breakdown. I heard Derek asking everyone to leave, and then running up the stairs. He, Peter and Cora were in the door way. Cora's had been by my side in an instant, laying my head in her lap and stroking my hair. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay. What happened?" I tried to speak, but I knew none of it is coherent. I knew what people will say, given the truth. They will say we're too young, that we've only know each other a month and two people can't care about each other that deeply because of those two factors. My mother, when she was alive, said to me that love and attraction are instant. It's only once you start to get to know the person you decide whether you want to stick at it, and if their faults are worth the pain and the heartache. I think she was right. If she were here she would be totally understanding of my reaction. She would brush my hair back and bring me into my arms and tell me stories with the point being to go and get Isaac back; to not let love go.

"I broke up with Isaac."

Derek had looked confused, because he knows how much I care about Isaac. After he had left that first day, we had a chat about everything to do with Isaac. Derek said I had to know his history, and he told me and the way I acted… I think he knew. "What? Why?"

"I had to protect him from me."

"Isn't that a choice he should get to make?"

"He'll make the wrong one." I had glared at Peter, who I know was getting his rocks off on my pain. Sadistic bastard. I should have killed him when I had the chance.

"Grace? I thought we weren't meeting until tomorrow?"

When the bell for lunch had sounded, I had rushed to Ms. Morrell's office. I didn't want to see the pity in Cora's face or the anger in Scott's or the confusion in Isaac's that I knew I'd see if I went to the usual lunch table.

"Sorry, I didn't really want to hang out by myself. I can go?"

"No, stay! We can have lunch and talk." Her smile was warm, and I opened up the packed lunch Derek had given me. It was a pretty good spread, and 100% healthy. Well, minus the Reece's peanut butter cup I insisted he buy me. It was an addiction that Blake and I had shared, and something I had adopted as my own.

"So, why would you be hanging out alone? What about the pack?"

"Isaac and I are no longer dating. Bad break up."

She nods, "I went through a pretty bad break up a month or so ago. The guy thought I was too good for him, made up some pretty interesting lies to get me to be angry with him so I could move on. I could see through him, and I called him up on it. He eventually told me the truth, about wanting to protect me and not wanting to corrupt me. That and he was a little scared. His last few girlfriends weren't all that great. Anyway, I said to him, "don't you think that's my decision to make?" Finally, he relented. We've been together since, and much happier."

"Derek said the same, about the choice."

She smiles softly, 'You know what they say about great minds. So, why don't you think Isaac deserves a choice?"

"Maybe I just don't like him," I retorted.

She arches her eyebrow in a who-the-fuck-are-you-kidding manner, and I sigh, "I don't want him to have to deal with being associated with me, something is-"

_Be careful what you say, little one. I have no problems killing her too._

I shiver, "something is happening and I don't want Isaac to get involved."

"What is that something?"

"I can't say."

She groans, 'You don't think you can trust me by now?"

I looked at her, "I trust you completely."

She nods and drops the subject, "Are you going to the dance?"

"Yeah, Danny asked me to do a couple of songs with him so I kind of have to." A week ago Danny had called me ridiculously excited. He said that the music teacher and the dance committee said he was able to perform at the dance, and he really wanted my help. I don't know why. Danny was an amazing singer and could play just about any instrument ever. I think Isaac had put him up to it.

"So you're still friends with Danny?"

"Of course I am. He's one of those guys that gets on with everyone."

She agreed, "What will you be wearing?"

Lydia was meant to take me shopping today, and then we would have a "Secret Human Meeting" as they had come to be called, but I didn't see how that was possible after last night. I had bullied the poor girl into telling me memories she would much rather forget, and then I had messed up one of her friends. I knew I was still required to go to the meeting, dropping out of those would make things worse, but I couldn't believe that she would still want to hang out normally.

"I'm not sure, I was meant to go shopping with Lydia but…"

"I could help you, you know? With this Alpha Pack and Darach nonsense finally out of the way I've been meaning to go shopping and you can be my excuse."

God, I loved this woman.

"Deal. Just no dresses."


	24. Chapter 24

Ms. Morrell probably had an eye for fashion so great that it only came second to that of Lydia Martin. We wandered from store to store for close to three hours after school was out of session, and in each store she would pick up some clothing item or accessory that was amazing and ridiculously cheap. It was a talent I'd love to have.

In the end I settled on a tight leather skirt and a floral peplum top. I wouldn't be as dressed up as everyone else at the dance, but I was there to sing and help Peter. I doubt anyone would notice my clothing choices when I am being arrested for being an accessory to murder.

It was a really nice afternoon, a distraction from my current situation. It was almost like two friends hanging out, and not a counselor and her "patient". I said as much to the woman when she dropped me outside Lydia's house, and she just smiled at me and said she was glad she could help, even if I couldn't tell her anything. I waved her off and then walked up the steps to Lydia's house. Her mom let me in, and when I walked into her bedroom all I got was a "you're late."

"Sorry. I was with Morrell. Ran over time."

Lydia nods curtly. "Okay, what are we doing today?"

"I want to start off by apologizing for last night. Me forcing you to tell your story; it was totally inappropriate and crossed a line. Then, I want to talk about me and Iz. I know you all know. I'm surprised you even let me in the room, but no matter what happens I promised to help you all be the most kick ass humans ever, and I will keep that promise."

"You promised Isaac a lot. You told him you loved him. You broke that promise, slut."

"Look, Allison, I don't know where the hell you get off calling me a slut, but you don't know anything about me or what I am doing, okay? So either shut up or get out. I am trying to teach…if you will all still have me?"

Lydia interrupts, "As fun as this drama is, we need Grace. Allison make your decision."

The brunette huffs and storms out, "Lydia you didn't have to-"

"Are you going to teach or what?" Her voice is snarky, and I just nod.

"So now we know the why and the how we can figure out how to manipulate it so you can find the victim before they're dead. You have to give in to it. Completely. You have to accept what you are and listen for the signs. That's all I can give you. That's all there is."

Lydia arches her eyebrow, "That's it?"

I nod, "I knew a Banshee back in New York. She was a detective and she only came in on kidnapping cases. She focused on the person being kidnapped and 9 out of 10 times she found them."

"It's not even certain?" Her voice is a screech and I wince. "No. Haven't you worked out nothing is?" She bites her lip and sighs. We talk a bit more about ways she can heighten her senses and be at ease with her power. Eventually Danny and Stiles leave and when I get up to follow Lydia calls me back.

"You didn't have to apologize, you know?"

"I don't have to do a lot of what I do."

She nods, and we stand in silence. Lydia's room is overpowering, with shades of pink everywhere and an obscene amount of awards peppering the walls. "Have you ever lied to me?"

I look up at the strawberry blonde; shocked. "Never."

"If I ask you a question will you answer honestly?"

"Yes."

"Is there another guy?"

"Of course not, Lydia. I love him."

"Why then?"

"I'm protecting him from me."

"Okay."

That's the end of the conversation, and I leave Lydia's house and begin to walk home. Peter pulls up beside me, "Hey, Fitzgerald! Need a ride?"

I groaned, "What do you want?"

"Making sure you remember our deal."

"I remember. I lure Scott out to the Lacrosse pitch. You tell me what the hell happened that day and I hand over Scott."

"Good girl," he smirks before speeding off down the street. A shiver ran up my spine, and I doubled over, puking all over the walk way. I wiped my mouth and continued my walk home; battling with my inner demons.


	25. Chapter 25

I am in the music room when Scott knocks on the door. I am fiddling with some music choices for the dance, because Danny asked me to sing a few songs both with him and solo. Then I help Peter kill Scott. God, this pit in my stomach couldn't get any heavier.

"Hey, Grace! How's it going?"

How's it going? I am being manipulated by a psychopath into helping him kill you, I had to break up with the best damn thing that's happened to me ever in order to protect him from said psychopath, and I am pretending everything is fine. I haven't slept in two day, my hair is a mess and I can't keep any food down because I am stressed beyond belief. On the plus side, I might finally find out what I was doing during the fire that claimed my family's life.

"We're going to do niceties, are we?"

He grimaces, "Yeah, you're right. Look, did anyone make you break up with Isaac? Is anyone forcing you to do something you don't want?"

For a minute, I consider telling him. I consider yelling out PETER HALE IS MAKING ME DO IT but then the devil appears on my shoulder, _"Tell him, and the pup gets it."_

"I just don't love him, Scott. And I am sick of pretending I do."

His lips form an O shape, but there is something in his eyes that tell me he doesn't quite believe me. "Ages ago, when Cora and Lydia brought up the dance, Cora said something about you being a good dancer? I was wondering if you could teach me how to slow dance properly…like a slow waltz or something? I don't want to just cling to Allison. I want to surprise her."

"Come over after school, and I'll help you out. Cora is going dress shopping and Derek may or may not be on a date, but he can't pay you out because, "Derek, the waltz is a respectable dance and god help me if you don't suck it up, I will kick your ass from here to next week"," I say, mimicking Laura in one of the siblings numerous fights.

A goofy grin appeared on his face, "Awesome, I'll see you then!"

He exits the room and I know I am going to regret this, "Scott?"

The boys head appears in the door way, "Yeah?"

"How's he doing?" I hadn't seen Isaac since our break up, and had been avoiding everyone at school. I would train by myself and wake up before Cora and Derek and get home long after they've gone to sleep.

Scott sits down beside me and sighs, "Not good. He's trying to be okay and alright, but he keeps thinking about you and this guy. He keeps torturing himself and then he keeps saying well he never really had you. He asked Rebecca to the dance, and they've been up in his room doing…stuff. He's trying to get over you but he isn't doing it in a healthy way. When I said it to him, uh, he threw it in my face that when Allison went to France when we broke up I threw myself into summer school, lacrosse and work. "You get a tattoo and I have sex," he keeps saying."

_You did this to yourself, remember? _Peter's voice mocks me as my breath hitches. I can feel the tears threatening to fall, and Scott wraps his arms around me.

"I broke up with him to protect him. Everyone I love dies, Scotty. I couldn't let Isaac become a name on the list of the dead."

Scott sighs, "I know, Grace. I know." He kisses my head, and gets up to go, because he knows me well enough to know I mourn in private.

"After school, yeah?"

I nod in response and try to muster up a smile, "Thanks, Scotty."

* * *

When I get home I change into yoga shorts and my You Me At Six shirt. I roll up the sleeves, and go to the mirror. The burns grew as I grew, and while they healed remarkably since they were inflicted, you could tell some serious damage had been done. I had built the strength up in my arms enough and developed a well-rounded burn cleansing routine to make sure I was never in too much pain, but sometimes the burns killed. I couldn't remember my birth mom doing them, and Morrell said that it was probably a memory that my actual mom took away upon adopting me, one of the perks of being adopted by wolves.

I hear the loft door sliding open, and I quickly put on a pair of heels and walk down the stairs. "Scott, I'll be down in a second!" When I reach the living room, I realize it's not just Scott, but Stiles and Isaac are here as well. "He-what the hell happened to your arms?"

I see Isaac elbow Stiles in the ribs, and I suddenly feel self-conscious. There's a blanket on the couch, and I quickly grab it and wrap it around myself. "Scott, I agreed to help you. Not them."

"I know, but then when I told them what I was doing they wanted in and I thought you'd be okay with it."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Fine. Stiles with Isaac and Scott with me. Ask any questions about my burns, I won't hesitate to kick your arse. Deal?" Isaac rolls his eyes, while the other two nod. I drop the blanket and walk over to the record player, and I skim my hands across the albums sitting next to it.

"You own a record player?"

"Ah, it was my Dad's. He had this love of classical music, which was sweet because he had this total bad ass exterior. Your dad reminds me of him a lot, Stiles. I can imagine them being friends, laughing over beers after finishing a case together or something."

Stiles puts a hand on my shoulder, and squeezes lightly, "He sounds like he was a great guy. Cora's told me some stories." I nod, and put on the record.

"Okay, first position. Boys put their hand on the girl's waist, and the girl places a hand on her partner's shoulder. Isaac, you can be the girl and Stiles, you can be the boy."

I walk them through the positions, and after about 20 minutes I can tell that Stiles and Isaac are two of the most uncoordinated people I have ever met. The amount of times one have them has sworn or said ow due to a toe being stepped on is bordering on ridiculous.

"Jesus, okay Scott's a natural so Stiles you're with him and Isaac you're with me."

Scott smiled sheepishly at my comment about him being a natural, and Stiles huffed before walking over to his best friend.

"Like hell I am partnering up with you."

_I think you hurt Isaac's feelings. And you're helping Scott before you seal his death_ _sentence. Guilty conscience much, kid?"_

"Fine, but I think Rebecca would be more impressed if you could waltz than anything else. I mean, there are three things a woman finds incredibly sexy and it goes across the board. It's a man in uniform or a well fitted suit, confidence, and a man who can dance."

I can hear Scott and Stiles mumbling something like, "better write this down" and Isaac stares right at me. "You know about Rebecca and I going together?"

"Yeah, Scott told me."

"Did he say anything else?"

What? Like you were banging her as revenge?

"Nope, just that she was your date to the dance."

He nods, and takes my hand, getting into first position. He puts his hand on my back, near my shoulder, and I roll my eyes. "Lower."

He looks down at me, something easy to do at his height, and right into my eyes. I hold his gaze and he bites his lip as he slowly slides his down my back and to my waist. His finger tips are barely brushing me, but every nerve in my body is alight. We're having a moment. He knows it, I know it, Scott knows it. Hell, _Stiles _knows it. I am doing a horrible job of controlling my heart beat, and I know he knows because he cocks his head to the side and smirks, "Better?"

I look up at him as we begin to dance. I mean, really look at him since the first time since we broke up. His curly hair is a mess, and he looks tired. And he smells like alcohol.

"Is that bourbon or vodka on your breath, Lahey?"

"You don't get to know everything about my life anymore. Don't act like you care as well." I resist the temptation to slap him. I don't like this Isaac. This is how I imagine "Asshole Days Isaac" to be like and I hate him.

"You're right. But, _never_ ever underestimate who I care about, because that is dangerous territory and you don't want to get on my bad side." My voice is cold and harsh; bordering on clinical.

_You remind me of me once upon a time._

_I am NOTHING like you._

_That's what you might think, but in a few days you're helping me kill someone to get something in return. Sounds like me._

He looks genuinely guilty when he mutters "sorry."

"It's whatever."

We dance in silence for the next hour or so, alternating partners and stopping only for bathroom breaks because apparently before they all came over they went to the local gas station and bought massive slushies and "woman, I'll be damned if I hold it in." Eventually Scott and Isaac left to go take Ms. McCall to work, and Stiles stayed to wait for Cora. We were sitting on the couch watching a rerun of Doctor Who when Stiles mumbled something.

"What?"

"I said there was a definite moment between you and the puppy dog before. What's going on? Because I know when you said you love him you weren't shitting him. You're freaking us all out. We're worried about you, Grace! Cora was texting me half the night in a panic and Derek's so worried that he was being _nice _to me before."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Stiles…it's complicated, okay? You just have to trust me. Can you do that?"

He sighs and nods. Over the course of my time in Beacon Hills, Stiles had welcomed me with open arms. At first I thought it was because of his relationship with Cora but as time went on, I could see that he genuinely cared about me. I felt bad for Stiles. From what I've been told, he's always saving the day with his plans that are so crazy they could only work, and he's stuck on the sidelines worrying about his friends. He and Scott were brothers, and if he lost Scott he wouldn't be Stiles anymore. What I was doing by helping Peter, I was wrecking so many people's lives. I hated myself for it.

"Do me a favour? I need you to give these to everyone after the dance. Not a minute before!"

"Why?"

"You'd try and stop me if I told you."

"Which means you should be stopped."

"Stiles."

"FINE! OKAY? I'll give out your stupid letters."

He takes the bundle of eleven letters and it's silent until Cora and Derek finally come home, and when Stiles gets up to follow Cora to her room, he leans over without looking at me, "Sorry for yelling."

I muster up the best smile I can, "No harm, no foul."


	26. Chapter 26

Allison came over to hang out with Scott. He and I had been playing video games, and I excused myself from the room. I went outside and sat on the porch when I smelt the familiar mix of cigarettes and peppermint. I looked up and Grace was standing before me, "Oh. Hey. I was just dropping off your hoodie." She's biting her lip as if to keep from crying and her voice is slightly strained.

"Thanks. Allison's here."

"She called me a slut."

"I know."

I hear the familiar scrap of her converse against concrete as she lowers herself to sit beside me on the step.

"How's Rebecca?"

"You're really going to fucking ask that?"

"You're right, sorry."

Neither of us are looking at each other, and it's killing me. I want to pull her into my lap and hold her against my chest but that's not my role anymore and _it was all a fucking game to her, _a lie to hook up with some dude someplace else. When she speaks again next, her voice is soft and she's squeezing her hand so hard with the other I'm scared she's going to shatter every bone in it.

"I understand if you hate me."

"The thing is I don't hate you. I should. I should hate you so goddamn much but I don't. I can't. It's physically impossible for me to hate you because I love you Grace. I have spent this entire time loving you and all the while I've just been some ploy to get the attention of someone else? Was it all a lie? When you said you loved me, were you lying? When you said if I ever needed someone to talk to or run away with that you'd be that person? Or when we were making out? Or when you called me your anchor? Was it all a scheme? God, you're such a bitch. You're such a bitch and I don't even care. How messed up is that? Well, I guess I am the king of messed up relationships. I mean, I loved my fucking prick of a dad and he used to beat the crap out of me and shove me in a fucking _freezer _and forget about me. The Doctor is the King of Okay and I am the King of Messed Up Relationships."

She flinches, almost as if I slapped her. "It wasn't a lie. I meant everything I ever said to you except the not loving you and that there was someone else. It was always you. Look, I am taking off after the dance. That's what I came to tell you. I'm going to live with my mom, my birth mom. No one else knows. I broke up with you so that when the time came you wouldn't think another person abandoned you."

"You are abandoning me." She pushes herself off of the step, and I am frozen in my place. I don't want her to leave, but something stops me from calling out after her as she walks away. I was left to think about what she said, about loving me and having to leave. I wonder if she was telling the truth, or if it was another lie. I sigh, "When did life get so complicated?"

I slip on the lacrosse jumper because it smells like her and call Rebecca. With her I knew where I stood. All she wanted was sex and a date to the dance. There was no commitment or attachment or feelings. We used each other to get off and forget about our individual problems, because that is so bloody healthy. Scott was right; I would have to end my arrangement with Rebecca soon. It was nice though, having a distraction from my problems.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sexy."

"Wanna come over?"

"Sure."

And so began another night of pretending my problems don't exist

* * *

**My lovely readers poorxbrokexcollegexkid and PsychoticSmartypants both sent me reviewers saying they were awaiting my next update and I really hate to keep them waiting so I updated early :D**

**Thank you to you both for reviewing every chapter! 3**


	27. Chapter 27

She hasn't been to the McCall house except that one time where Stiles and Allison and Jackson forced her there to "study." She knew now that they were trying to protect her from Derek, Isaac, Erica and Boyd killing her, but it didn't make the whole thing a little less weird.

After seeing Peter pull up outside her house last night and talk to Grace, and seeing her friend's reaction, she knew something was up. She knew she could just speak to her Alpha at training later that night but she was going to tell him everything. About the secret meetings and what Grace told her about never lying to them and the feeling of death looming that she couldn't seem to shake, and she knew that would piss of Stiles, Danny and Allison somewhat severely. They'd all worked so hard, and she was about to ruin it all.

She knocked on the door, and there was no answer. She looked and saw Scott's bike and Isaac's car in the driveway. "Hello? Anybody home?" Eventually she can hear huffing as someone makes their way to the door to unlock. Isaac is standing there in nothing more than boxer briefs and Lydia can see that girl from her physics class on the couch in her underwear. Scott must be in his room and Ms. McCall must be on night shift.

"Wow, real classy, Lahey."

He rolled his eyes, "What do you want, Martin?"

"I need to speak to Scott."

"He's upstairs with Allison."

"I can wait," the fiery girl makes her way to the couch and sits beside the girl from her physics class; Rebecca something or other. Isaac groans because he knows she's not going anywhere and he wants to scream at her for being a major cockblock.

Lydia turns to the girl, "You can go now."

The girl quickly gets up and dressed, muttering something about how she "didn't sign up for this shit" and what a "stupid bitch" Lydia Martin was.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, honey!"

She knows Isaac is glaring at her, "Is Scott able to see me now?"

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "SCOTT! Lydia's here for you. I'm going out for a walk." With that, the curly haired werewolf gets dressed storms and goes to storm out of the house, but not before Lydia lectures him; "Are you really that stupid, Lahey? Grace _loves _you and you're messing around with _her?"_

"I think you're forgetting the part where Grace broke up with me."

"She still loves you. Always has, always will. Look, all I'm saying is that she's a 17 year old girl who finally has some resemblance of a family and who has been hurt so many times before. I mean, her birth mom, her family, the Hales, Laura. She doesn't want to lose you too. She's being proactive not reactive for once."

The relationship between Isaac and Lydia is a strange one. They ignore the fact that Lydia knew what his dad was doing to him, because she was always at the Whittemore house and how could she not know? They ignore the fact Isaac once tried to kill Lydia for fun. They have this silent agreement to. They care about each other a lot, a lot more now since Grace has come into the picture. The two girls were best friends and so Isaac spent many occasions with them, just hanging out. It was nice. Isaac stares at her for a long hard moment, and then turns on his heel and tears out of the McCall home.

Lydia is awfully happy with herself when Scott and Allison come down the stairs. Allison isn't speaking to Lydia after their incident yesterday, and so she quickly pecks Scott on the cheek, mutters "I'll see you at training" and is out the door.

Scott runs his fingers through his hair, unsure how to approach the situation. He almost never knows what he's doing. In fact, he never knows what he's doing. He just tries to do the right thing and hope for the best. He sits across from Lydia, "You know you hurt her yesterday."

"Sometimes Allison needs to be told."

"Right. So, what can I do for ya?"

"It's about Grace. I am worried for her."

He pinches the bridge of his nose, "We all are, Lyd."

"Last night, Allison, Danny, Stiles and Grace were over at my house. For years Grace has been keeping and adding to this secret Bestiary that if Gerard knew it existed, would come after her without a second thought. We've been having these secret meetings every few days to help me become a better Banshee and to craft new defence techniques so you guys don't have to worry about us. Stiles basically has the book memorized and is a walking dictionary of it. Anyway, the others left and Grace said she was protecting Isaac from something. She left, and when I looked out my window Peter was there in his car. He said something to her and drove off and she vomited everywhere. I haven't been able to shake the feeling of death since, Scott."

He's silent as he tries to take in what his friend has told him. It would make sense. Peter rolls into town and Grace starts acting bizarre. Maybe he has something on her, something she's too afraid to tell them? What's he making her do?

"Shit," is all he can vocalize, "Okay, don't say anything to the others. Just be on alert, okay? We'll fix this. I mean, maybe it's all a big coincidence.

The feeling of death grips Lydia even tighter and she hopes for everyone's sake that Scott is right.


	28. Chapter 28

"Where have you been?"

"I went for a walk."

Derek is pissed off because I haven't been very family orientated like we all promised to be. He let me have my "mourning" period about breaking things off with Isaac, but now it was time to get my head out of my arse, as he put it.

"Training. Five minutes."

"Already trained."

"Grace, get your ass downstairs now or so help me we will have a replay of Christmas 2009."

I set my jaw and look Derek right in the eyes, "Make me."

His eyes turn an ice blue and he throws me over my shoulder, "Why must you be such a pain in the goddamn ass, Grace? I swear…" He walks down the stairs grumbling about what a shit head I was. "I get it. He was your first love and your life has been turned upside down and-"

He throws me down on the mats, "You are such a dick!"

"I'm the dick? What is going on in your head? I don't know what you're going to do at any given moment! You're driving me insane!" Derek's never yelled at me before, when I was in trouble it was always Laura's duty to chew me out. Derek usually sat in the corner wanting to stand between us, but never actually doing anything. It was a shock to hear him lose it like that. He was shaking. Every one was beginning to file in for training, and I could see their faces. Full of pity. "Two things: sorry and screw you."

I get up and storm out, pushing past everyone in the group.

* * *

"FUCK," Derek screams out. He's pissed because he messed up. "I'll go and try and find her," Cora says, but I shake my head. "I'll go. She listens to me."

"You don't owe her anything, Isaac," Allison says from her corner of the room, but I don't respond because I'm already out of the loft and onto the street. There's only one possible place in town she could be, so I drive over to the cemetery and begin to look for her. I find her at her family's grave stone. She doesn't look up at me, but she somehow knows I'm here. "You didn't have to follow me, Iz."

"You didn't have to run."

It's stupid on so many levels. She did have to run and I had to chase her. It was the law of our relationship. She walked away from the pack and I found her in my bedroom. She walked away that first day at school, and I followed. She ran from Allison's apartment and I followed. She ran from lacrosse practice…and I should have followed but then she kissed me and drove away and I followed. I've been chasing her since.

"Are you really leaving after the dance?"

She looks up at me with this sadness in her eyes and nods. "I could go with you, you know? Grace and Isaac in New York or Malibu or freaking Antarctica! We could have a TV show, like those stupid Kardashians."

"We could finish school wherever we end up and open our own diner so teen werewolf fugitives can hang out and take their girlfriends after they have melt downs at hunters."

"Most of all, we'd be together."

She looks at me, her eyes flickering to my lips at back to meet mine. I can tell she wants to say the words, "I really want to kiss you right now," but she doesn't. Instead she says, "There are people here who need you, and Isaac Lahey I swear if you say you don't have anyone because I will rip your throat out with my teeth. You have Scott and Mama McCall and Stiles and the Sheriff and Allison and Lydia and Cora and Derek and Danny and Ethan and Aiden and Mr. Argent. They care about you like no one I have ever seen."

Her voice is strong in that way it gets when she's trying to convince someone of something, make them see the light. My voice isn't as strong, "We need you_. I need you_"

"You won't in a few days."

"You don't know that."

"Isaac-" She stops halfway through her sentence, mouth gaping open and her expression scared. "I gotta go." She gets up and runs away, and I turn to where she was looking and see the body of the wolf slinking away in the distance. I let her run from her demons, because we all need to escape sometimes.


	29. Chapter 29

Lydia comes over early the next morning to drop off all of her stuff. She's insisted that Casa de Hale/Fitzgerald will be where all the girls get ready for the dance because "two of you live there and it's so spacious that the makeup artists will have no issues buzzing around." Derek lets her in an attempt to apologize after last night. When I walked through the door I saw he was a mess and I went over and told him to man up, which in Grace-Derek speak meant "I am sorry and I love you and nothing to forgive."

After that Lydia insists on driving me to school so she can interrogate me about what happened between Isaac and I last night. She knows that he knows I still care about him. It's hard to hide stuff like that from the Banshee. "We just spoke Lydia, that's it."

"About?"

"Running away together."

I swear to god Lydia Martin almost kills the both of us' slamming on her brakes and swerving to the side of the road, like what I said was the most shocking and fucked up thing in the universe. "Jesus, Lydia. I'd like to see tomorrow. She snorts, "So you just talked? I'm pretty sure running away together is a serious thing."

"We're not actually running away together. It's one of those scenarios like what would you do if you won 20 million in the lottery. It means nothing."

"Whatever you say," She says with a roll of her eyes and a smirk on her face, "But man, imagine you two running away together. It'd be like Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo and Juliet _died_, Lydia."

_Exactly._

We end up getting to school 30 seconds before the bell, thanks to Lydia's attempt to kill us both. The pit in my stomach tightens as the day goes on. _Stop being so nervous. It's not like you're helping me kill someone. Oh. Wait. _How the hell was he getting in my head like that? Tonight I would help bring an end to someone's life, someone who has been nothing but kind to me. I couldn't think about it.

Danny and I were given permission to not be in class so we can practice our set list for tonight. It's fun practicing with Danny. We don't get to speak much despite rolling in the same pack. Even though Aiden and Ethan are technically McCall pack members, they don't socialize on the same level as the group. That means Danny isn't always around. Singing with him is a treat because he has an amazing voice and he's even choreographed some dorky dance moves to go along with our songs. In the end we go with the following songs;

How to be a Heart Breaker-Marina and the Diamonds

Headlines-Drake DANNY SOLO

Kiss You-One Direction DANNY SOLO

Somewhere in Neverland-All Time Low GRACE SOLO, DANNY DRUMS

Kiss Me-Ed Sheeran

It's a weird mix of songs but between the two of us we can cover the vocal range pretty well. We're just about done for the day when Ethan walks in, "Hey babe," he says, grabbing Danny by the wrist and planting a pretty intense kiss on his lips. He notices me as an after though, "Oh, Grace! Hey." I laugh, "Hey Ethan, how's things?"

"Better if Danny was naked and we were alone."

"To the point, I like it. I'll see you lads later. Don't break him Ethan; I need my singing partner in one piece."

I hear a call of "no promises" and laughter and I don't even know what before I'm out in the corridor.


	30. Chapter 30

"So what happened after you went after Grace last night?" We're at lunch and I'm trying not to focus on the fact I can hear Grace singing and that Cora keeps looking at me like I am broken and that this left over pizza I'm eating from two nights ago is most likely off.

"Nothing, I just found her at the cemetery. I asked her if she was okay and she was and I was on my merry way."

Lydia cuts in, using her matter-of-fact tone that irritated me to no end, "They talked about running away together."

I slam my head against the lunch table, "For fucks sake, does everyone have to know everything about my business? Yes, we talked about running away together. It wasn't serious; it was like how you talk about what you would do with the money if you won big in the lottery. We talked about running away and finishing school and opening a diner where fugitive werewolves can go and bring their human counterparts with them. Are you happy now?"

No one replies, and for that I'm thankful. Lunch is silent for the remainder of its duration and when the 10 minute warning bell rings I get up and bolt for class. I know it's petty, taking out my anger on them. The full moon that's tonight is my excuse. Everyone else in the pack has a partner to take out their full moon "frustrations" on, and all I have are goddamn memories of happiness.

I slouch against some lockers and groan when I smell the appearance of someone I'd rather not deal with, "What the hell do you want, Peter?" I look up at the older man. He's got this cocky smile planted on his face with this bored expression in his eyes, "I just came to make sure everything was in order. I didn't expect you to be alone. It's a full moon; I thought you'd be with Grace."

"Everything's in order?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, pup."

As he walks away, Grace races around the corner. "Isaac, are you okay? Did he say or do anything to you?" She's got my face between her hands checking for injuries and when she sees none she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."

I huff, "Oh so _now _you want to have something to do with me?"

"I'm going to take that as the looming full moon talking and not Isaac Lahey." She turns on her heel and struts off. "Get back here! Tell me what the hell just happened!"

"Peter hurt Laura. He hurt Lydia. I was just scared he was hurting you to. He is the King of Manipulation."

"Right."

"What, it's not that farfetched that just because he's been alive and pretending to play good guy for so long that he hasn't been cooking up some master plan."

She storms off, clearly annoyed. "Yeah, screw you too," I mutter, no longer bothered with running after her.


	31. Chapter 31

Peter Hale is _very _excited. He's excited because he's finally going to take his place as Alpha of the pack. He's finally going to show those stupid teenagers that he is top wolf, so to speak. He's done playing heroes and villains. He wants to do what wolves are intended to do; hunt and kill. None of this bullshit defending the town and bonding that the McCall boy is always preaching.

He's finally going to get revenge on Derek and Scott for burying him in the group. Hell, he might even kill Derek to make a point to his pack that behavior like that will simply not be tolerated. Hey, he might even have another go on another date with Melissa McCall, despite the complete obvious that she's in love with the bumbling idiot Stilinski's dad. He knows he can be quite _persuasive. _

He doesn't really care that Grace Fitzgerald is falling to pieces with what's to come. He knows she won't back out. She's been looking for answers about the day of the fire for far too long to _not_ help him. After he's done killing Scott he's going to kill her anyway, so what does it matter? He'd be kind enough to give her the answers she's spent 6 years searching for. After all, he did like the kid. She had spunk, always had. She was always his favourite of all the brats that passed through his stomping ground. That's why he'd chosen her for the job, she was tough.

The Lahey boy would never betray his beloved Scott, even if he threatened everyone and anyone. Scott had been the first person who truly cared for him. Derek and Cora would never bow down to him. Those ridiculous Alpha twins were too unpredictable and he'd already used Lydia and figured she deserved a break. The Argent girl would have been a fun one to try and manipulate, he'd seen her own grandfather already do it. He probably would have had to threaten Chris Argent though and that would have been bad because the man knows how to use a gun. Stiles would have been almost impossible as well, unless Peter knew something about his mom or could threaten his dad. No, Grace was the best possible option and it was turning out just like he planned.

"Pretty sure part of the agreement was that you stay the hell away from _my pack, _Peter. You went near Isaac today." Her arms are crossed over her chest, her nostrils are flaring and her hair is tied back. She's wearing one of her signature sweaters and skin tight jeans paired with combat boots. Peter has to admit, she _almost _looks scary.

"Just making sure you're keeping your end of the bargain. You've been planting seeds. I had to remind you what I'm capable of and just being near the pup set you off."

"I haven't been planting seeds! All I've said is that I'm moving away, which is my cover by the way. I ask Scott to come with me so I can tell him something. I bring him to you and I slip into the night. No one will suspect me at all."

She's smarter than he thought. "Fine. Go get ready for your silly dance. I'll be waiting." She storms out of the apartment, leaving Peter to bask in his soon to be victory.


	32. Chapter 32

"Grace, get your butt downstairs now, the boys are here!"

"Just a minute!" I was looking at myself in the mirror for the 5th time in 20 minutes. Why the hell did I let Lydia Martin and her goddamn makeup people force me into being their own personal Barbie doll? I was in the clothes that Morrell and I had bought on our shopping trip; the tight leather the skirt and the floral peplum top. Lydia had discovered we shared the same shoe size and so she forced me into a pair of Louis Vuitton stilettos that I am 99.99% sure I would fall over in. The hair stylists had straightened out my naturally wild curls and now my hair reached close to my waist and _it was touching my flipping face. _It was a new concept to me, since I usually let my hair do whatever the hell it wanted and tied it up every day. My makeup was relatively natural except for the bold red lip that Lydia insisted upon because it apparently goes well with my pale skin. God, I looked ridiculous. I just want to crawl under my bed and hide.

"I'll meet you guys at the dance!"

"Grace Fitzgerald if you do not open that door right and get your ass down here now I swear I will get Aiden to go up there and kick the door in and drag you out."

Lydia Martin could be terrifying at times. I sigh and look around my room for what will probably be the last time. I'd already packed my getaway items, leaving them under the stage where Danny and I would be performing tonight. It was nice while it lasted; having a room and a family and people to fuss over. I shut the door and make my way down the flight of stairs. I can hear everyone chattering and laughing and I don't know whether to smile or cry.

"Okay, I'm here. Happy?"

Everyone turns to look at me, "You look beautiful," Derek says as he wraps an arm around my neck and plants a kiss on my head. "If the boys were here they'd be going crazy in their heads trying to come up with ways to "protect your innocence." I look up at him and muster up a smile, "Yeah and no doubt you'd be the one giving them ideas on how to do it." That he grinned at.

"Okay, pictures! Everyone get together," Lydia commanded.

"I'll take it, it is a pack photo."

Lydia rolls her eyes, "Duh, which is why you need to be in it. Creepy Hale, take the picture." I turn to see Peter lurking in the corner, "Anything for you Lydia." Aiden growls and Lydia puts a hand on his chest to calm him down, "So not worth it."

Everyone quickly huddles together and we're ready to take the picture when Peter says, "Grace, honey, you just look plain weird standing beside Lydia and Aiden. You should move to stand…stand between Isaac and Scott."

"Motherfucking psycho, "go stand between Isaac and Scott" I'll show you," I grumble. When I finally nestle my way between the two boys I realize everyone is staring at me. Damn werewolves and their super hearing. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget y'all have super hearing." They all break off into laughter and we take a few pictures. Isaac leans and whispers into my ear, "You do look beautiful."

"What happened to Rebecca," I ask, partly to pretend like I didn't hear his comment and partly because I had only just noticed that she wasn't here.

"Accept the compliment, Fitzgerald."

I roll my eyes, "You don't look so bad yourself." He's wearing black suit pants with a white dress shirt pushed up to his elbows paired with a black tie. It's not done properly and I go to fix it. Isaac bats my hand away playfully; mumbling something about preferring it like that. "Come on,' I whisper so only he will hear. He finally relents, "Thanks, G." I look up to dismiss his apology but his face is so close to mine I can't think. His breath is hot on my face and it takes all my strength to turn away and not close the space between us. I can see the disappointment in his face when I don't.

The loft door swings open at that moment and Ms. Morrell walks through it, helping me avoid a very awkward moment. She looks amazing in her short blue number. I wonder if she had a boyfriend, because tonight he'd be a very lucky man. "Sorry I'm late! The traffic was a state."

"Ms. Morrell, you look great, but what are you doing here?"

Derek goes a deep shade of red, "She, uh, she thought, she um, she asked me if I'd like to help chaperone tonight."

A grin breaks out across my face, and when I turn to Cora I see my expression is mirrored. "Morrell's the woman you've been dating? Why didn't you tell us?" She punches Derek on the arm lightly, "Well, uh, well-"

"Words, Der. I think they want an actual response," Morrell lightly teases, giving Derek a kiss on the cheek.

"I wasn't sure how'd react. I mean, she was the Alpha pack's emissary and she's Grace's counselor and I'd already fed you girls the lie about a girl named Hallie who I met at the super market."

"Why "Hallie"?"

"Oh come on, G, I thought you would have figured it out! Jim meets Hallie on the bus totally unexpected and he doesn't realize he has feelings towards her until they kiss and he isn't really looking for anyone because of Lisa and Maggie but he finds her and he really cares about her and she helps."

"Hmm, what do you think Cora? Do we approve?"

"Of course we approve, she makes our dear Sour Wolf smile. No more secrets but, dick. Now, let's get to this stupid dance and _behave. _It's the full moon and I have plans so I don't want to be chasing no one through the woods tonight."

"Yes, Momma Cora," everyone said in unison


	33. Chapter 33

I have to admit, the dance committee had gone full out on this one. The lights and decorations and food were of a high caliber compared to the usual work done by the A/V club and the food technology department. Danny and Grace were up on stage, preparing for their first song. God, she looked amazing. She was sending off weird vibes though. Animals can usually sense when a storm is coming, and wolves are ones with particularly keen senses. As werewolves we got the same feeling. When the Kanima was around, when the Alpha rolled into town and when Ms. Blake was wreaking havoc, we all felt it. It was like a looming shadow following us, similar to what I imagine Scott, Allison and Stiles have felt since sacrificing themselves. Scott seems to notice my worried face, "It'll be fine, dude. She's just nervous about performing. Danny said he had to talk her into it a bunch."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Scott grinned at clapped me on the shoulder and the lights went dim; "Ladies and gentleman, you all look fabulous this evening. My name is Grace Fitzgerald and I'm accompanied by the amazing Danny Mahealani. We have a few songs for you all tonight and we're going to kick off with "How to be a Heartbreaker" by Marina and the Diamonds. Here goes nothing!"

Danny and Grace put on their head set microphones and the electric guitar starts. Grace puts her hand on her hip and bumps to the music, she brings her arm over her head and back down with her hand in a fist and her pointer finger up, _"Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun, But baby when you're done, you gotta be the first to run."_

She smirks and walks away and Danny chases her, _"Rule number two, just don't get attached to, Somebody you could lose, So le-let me tell you"_

They both start jumping up and down at the chorus, "_This is how to be a heartbreaker! Boys they like a little danger, we'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, Singing I lo-lo-love you! How to be a heartbreaker, Boys they like the look of danger, we'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, Singing I lo-lo-love you. At least I think I do!"_

I look over at Ethan who is grinning with no shame. "God, my boyfriend is just so damn great." Aiden thwacks him over the back of the head, "down boy!"

"I can't help it, bro! Look at him up there! He looks hot!"

I look back to the stage and Grace is singing with the biggest smile on her face whilst still trying to keep her "Electra Heart" alter ego alive and believable. Ethan was right; they did look amazing on stage. She looks over at me and winks. This is different from how I've ever seen Grace. I've seen confident Grace, shy Grace, Embarrassed Grace, Frustrated Grace Happy Grace, Angry Grace, Broken Grace but I have never seen take-charge-and-be-sexy Grace. Frankly, I wish I'd seen her before. During our one on one time she had been meek. She was shy and happy Grace during those times. This Grace was new, and someone I'd like to get more acquainted with.

Danny's voice breaks my train of thought, "Thanks, guys! We'll be back later! Enjoy your night." I make my way to the side of the stage and grab Grace's wrist. I pull her through the crowd until we're out in the hallway. There are still some people lingering, so I drag her around the corner and push her up against the lockers.

"Isaac-" She's cut off with my lips on hers. She pulls at my hair and moans against my mouth. I start to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. There's heaving breathing and grabbing at whatever either of us can hold on to. My hands are just under her top, where her hips are but they slowly move higher.

"Isaac! We can't. We're not together," Her voice is trembling and I just whisper in her ear, "But I'm yours remember? I want to show you that I'm yours. I want to meet the Grace that was up on stage." I continue to kiss her and she pushes me off her with all the force she can muster up. I fall on my ass and stay down, she leans her head against the locker.

"Grace, I am _so_ sorry. I just, I saw you up there-"

"And the full moon took hold, I get it Iz. Look, it's not like I didn't want to. I've thought about it _a lot_. It's just the circumstances. If this was another day at any other time I would be like screw rational thought; let's go. But its tonight and I can't."

"You're not mad?"

"Frustrated? Sure. Mad? No. I really wanted to do the same when I saw you tonight." She extends her hand to me and I take it. Pulling me up, she says, "You know I'd never leave you intentionally, right? My leaving is due to circumstances out of my control."

I listen to her heart beat, as odd as her's might be I worked out her truth telling her beat and her panicked one and every other one under the sun, and I know she's telling the truth. She leads me back to the gymnasium and we see all our friends dancing. Even Cora and Derek decided to put on their fun pants tonight, dancing and laughing with their respective partners. It was a perfect night because there were no super natural things to stress about. Yeah, sure there was the full moon and sure Grace was running away in a few hours, but we had tonight; carpe noctem and all that crap.

"Hey Grace? What about a dance?"

A smile crosses her lips

"Yeah, I think I could do that."


	34. Chapter 34

Dancing with Isaac is fun; it's a mix of totally awkward because dancing with someone else is unchartered territory for both of us and with what happened in the hallway he's a little hesitant on what areas are "safe" to touch me but it's also something I'll think about after tonight is over because being close to Isaac is nice. It's weird. Words are unnecessary. Eye contact is unnecessary. Just being in Isaac's arms are enough for me to feelsafe. It's weird, how one word can mean so much? I mean, being same is a basic human right, y'know? And even with my family or Derek and Laura I have not felt as safe as I have since I've met Isaac Lahey. That little shit. Yes, there was impending doom. I would soon betray him and Scott and Derek and Cora and Stiles and Lydia and everyone else that I've come to love and care for. I'm a horrible person.

_Horrible isn't the word I'd use. I think smart would be a better one; survivor, even._

Go to hell, Peter.

_Charming_.

Cora steals me away after that, blushing and giggling. She reminds me of the Cora I knew; the Cora who believed in love at first sight and fairy tales and happy endings. She had changed so much since the fire. She had become into this kick ass woman who didn't take no shit and wore her heart on her sleeve wrapped in chains and surrounded by dragons so only those willing to help her fight her demons had a chance. She pulls me into a bathroom, "So, Stiles and I…after the dance, we're going to, y'know. I wanted to tell you because I love you so much. He has Scott and I have you."

She's giggling and grinning so much I swear she's going to have bruised cheeks tomorrow, I wonder if Stiles happened to get his hands on some liquid confidence for the pair of them. "Cora, that's great! Do I have to give you the safe sex talk, missy?" She playfully shoves me and rolls her eyes, "I'm nervous."

"And knowing Stiles he's probably freaking the fuck out. Breathe. He loves you, a lot; known it since I first saw you together. Just be safe. And let him have a little control, kay? And make sure you tell him how much he means to you like I always hear him telling you."

She hugs me and I swear if she holds me any tighter I'm going to pass out from lack of oxygen, "I'm so glad you came and found me and Der."

"I'm glad you're not dead."

We're both crying a little when I get a text from Danny saying we we're on stage in two minutes. "I have to-"

"Go, go" Cora ushers me out. I pull her in for another hug and kiss on the cheek, "love you."

"Love you too!"

I see Danny and quickly follow him to the stage, grabbing my microphone. I see Scott in the crowd and quickly send him a text, "Hey, meet me after slow dance? Need to talk." I see him reach for his phone and look up at me and nod. I quickly send Stiles one as well, "Remember the letters." He does the same action as Scott. And so the final act begins, "Hey Beacon Hills High, is everyone enjoying themselves tonight?" There a woos and cheers from the audience. "This next song is called "Somewhere in Neverland", and it's by All Time Low. It's about a boy and a girl who want to stay young forever, live without complications, so they run away and start this simple life surrounded by people they love. Ready Danny boy?"

Danny grins and nods at me. He'll be playing the drums for this song, letting me sing by myself with him as back up. I'm a little nervous but I hear Danny's 1-2-3-4 and the music starts and I just go for it

_Say goodbye to the halls and the classes_

_Say hello to a job and the taxes_

_The weekends with old friends spilling into 9 to 5 routine_

_Tell me how you feel over and done with_

_Like your life is a map with no compass to guide,_

_At the bar drinkin' way too much_

_We sing along to "Forever Young"._

_So here we go again_

_Wishin' we could start again_

_Wendy run away with me_

_I know I sound crazy_

_Don't you see what you do to me?_

_I wanna be your lost boy_

_Your last chance, a better reality_

_Wendy we can get away_

_I promise if you're with me, say the word and we'll find a way_

_I can be your lost boy, your last chance_

_Your "everything better" plan_

_Oh, somewhere in Neverland_

_(Somewhere in Neverland)_

I look over to see Stiles on Isaac's back cheering. I am pretty sure they get my underlying message of if I had a choice we'd be out of here tonight, on the road with nothing but big ideas and the perseverance to make it happen. The pack is dancing up and down and pride fills my chest.

And then you help kill their Alpha

The song ends and Danny gets up from the drum kit, "Ready?"

I shake my head, "Nope. You are notspending your slow song up here with me. Get your ass down there and dance with your hot boyfriend, okay? Carpe Noctem and all that crap, Danny, because if the last 17 years has taught me anything it's that we gotta seize the good moments before the bad ones seize us. Go."

Danny throws me a thank you smile and quickly makes his way to Ethan, "Alright we have one last song for you. Well, I have one last song for you. I think Danny deserves to have his slow dance with his boy, don't you? Okay, grab that special someone because it's time for "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran."

Last time to see your friends. Make it count

_Settle down with me_

_Cover me up_

_Cuddle me in_

_Lie down with me_

_And hold me in your arms_

_And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck_

_I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet_

_And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now_

_Kiss me like you wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_This feels like falling in love_

_Falling in love_

_We're falling in love_

I'm looking at Isaac, who has wandered off to a corner of the dance floor. He hasn't got anyone to dance with, hell; maybe there is no one he wants to dance with. Scott's waltzing with Allison when he notices too, and quickly excuses himself to grab the tall curly haired boy. He drags him back to Allison and the three cling to each other, rocking back and forth. Scott, Isaac and Allison, despite all they've been through, cared about each other and all their friends and family more fiercely than anything or anyone ever. They've all lost people, and the fact they still open themselves up to love is the most beautiful thing I've seen. Allison was trying to do right by her family and her friends. Scott was trying to do right by everyone and Isaac is trying to do right by Scott. One day the three of them would be superheroes, whether in costumer or not, they'd defend society in any way they could. They're laughing and smiling and then Isaac spins Scott around like a boy would do to a girl in any cheesy movie and I grin at them like a fool because they're my friends and I couldn't ask for a better bunch.

_Settle down with me_

_And I'll be your safety_

_You'll be my lady_

_I was made to keep your body warm_

_But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms_

_Oh no_

_My heart's against your chest, your lips pressed to my neck_

_I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet_

_And with this feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now_

_Kiss me like you wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_This feels like falling in love_

_Falling in love_

_We're falling in love_

I look over to Derek and Morrell, who are dancing close to Stiles and Cora because while Derek trusts Stiles to treat Cora like the princess she deserves to be treated like, he can't ignore his big brother instincts that led to him creating a pack of teenage wolves with bad self-esteem. God, I loved him. Yes, once it was romantically, but now it was in a more partnership kinda way. Like, I got his back and he's got mine and together we can take over the world. We were so similar, and we cared about each other so much. I wonder if he'll understand my decision. Morrell is like the surrogate mother/Laura/friend I never asked for but I can honestly say I am so glad that Derek beat me that day when we sparred over me going to see her. I am so glad Derek picked her, to be both my counselor and his girlfriend. Yes, some afternoons I wanted to punch her in the face, but I am sure the feeling is mutual. The afternoons where we talked were the nicest. Cora was the best sister I could have ever asked for. I loved who she was and who she's become and I will always remember our exchange in the bathrooms tonight. Stiles was Batman, whether he and everyone else knew it or not. He was a good guy with the best of intentions and I could not have picked a better person for Cora to be with or hand out my letters. I grin at them like a fool because they're my friends and I couldn't ask for a better bunch.

_Yeah I've been feeling everything_

_From hate to love_

_From love to lust_

_From lust to truth_

_I guess that's how I know you_

_So I hold you close to help you give it up_

Ethan and Danny are standing beside Lydia and Aiden. The four of them together looking like someone who has just stepped out of a fashion catalogue, only much more fashionable and better looking. Lydia has been the most amazing friend to me since I've been to Beacon Hills. I hope tonight doesn't kill her. Danny has been a great guy, always defending me. I hope he isn't too hurt by what I'm about to do. They have the twins though. Maybe that'll save them. I grin at them like a fool because they're my friendsand I couldn't ask for a better bunch.

_So kiss me like you wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_This feels like falling in love_

_Falling in love_

_We're falling in love_

I look at the pack before me. They're not just friends or pack; they're family. At that thought my heart breaks a little because I fucked up. I came here and I wasn't supposed to fall in love with these people. I was meant to be a casual observer living with Derek and Cora.

Damn my stupid feelings.

_Kiss me like you wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_You wanna be loved_

_This feels like falling in love_

_Falling in love_

_We're falling in love_

_Time for Scott to die_.


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey, expect a few short chapters coming up! Need to build that suspense**

* * *

Grace walks out of the building and Isaac goes to chase her because that's what he does. It's like a law of the universe, like how Will will always love Mac. Scott puts a hand on his chest though, "I'll go, man. See you in a bit."

When Scott leaves the gym he sees her leaning against the wall, Lydia's heels in her hand. "What's up?" He can hear her heart beat increase. She's scared, "Scott, do you trust me?" Her voice is wavering. Maybe he's about to find out the reason behind her behaviour?

"Of course I trust you."

"I'm about to test the hell out of that trust right now. Think you can handle it?"

Scott McCall has never been able to resist a challenge; it's how he ended up in hospital when he was eight after Stiles had bet him that he couldn't replicate one of the WWE stunts. He pulled it off flawlessly, minus the whole breaking his arm thing. It's also what made him follow Stiles into the reserve that night; the night he became a werewolf. It's what made him fight so damn hard for Allison, despite all the odds stacked against them.

"You're on."

She puts down the high heels and they walk down the empty hallways until they reach the lacrosse field. "Remember how you said you trust me? Keep thinking that, because here's the test Scotty. It's gonna be hard, but I believe we can do it."

That's when Peter comes into view, "You really shouldn't trust her Scott. She'd betray her own flesh and blood to get what she wants, right Grace?"

Grace's hands ball into fists and it takes everything for her not to go and smack the shit out of Peter. Scott's confused as to what's happening, but he stays in his position beside Grace. He meant what he said about trusting her. If they were here it was for good reason.

"You promised answers, Peter. Now, or Scott runs free."

He was here to die.

She said to trust her.

He never could back away from a challenge.


	36. Chapter 36

"Right, I should keep my promise. I always have been a man of my word. You want to know where you were when the fire broke out. Your dreams are realer than you might think. I'll start at the beginning. You ever wonder why you're so drawn to the pup? To Scott? You've met them before. I just took the memory away from the three of you."

"Bullshit."

Scott grabs my shoulder, "He's telling the truth. I can hear it."

"He's a master manipulator."

"_Listen to me. _You've met Scott and Isaac before. The day of the fire Julia organized for you and Scott to have a play date because Stiles was out of town with his dad, Melissa had to work and the regular baby sitter was unavailable. Melissa helped Julia with a case, and they stayed in contact. I think Julia even helped finalize your parents' divorce Scott."

I remember that. Melissa came over to the Hale's still in her scrubs and begged Mom to help her. She said she couldn't pay what Mom normally would get but she didn't want to be with that man anymore. He wasn't abusive, but he had cheated on her. They'd fallen in love at such a young age, she said, and he regretted his "irrational" thinking.

"I, I remember that."

"Anyway, being the hoodlums you were, the two of you wandered off into the cemetery. It was a place you went often as a kid, Grace. It was bizarre, but it was what you did. That day you dragged Scott along to play a game of zombies when you saw Isaac and his dad. He'd just finished beating the crap out of Isaac, and you two had your bloody hero instincts kick in and Grace shoved the pup's dad so hard he fell over, she then grabbed his hand and said that he was coming with her. Scott, you were there just to make sure the father didn't retaliate."

_"Stiles would be so jealous right now! He's on a fishing trip and I'm playing zombies without him and-"_

_I put a finger to my mouth to tell Scott to be quiet, "Can you hear that? The yelling?"_

_Scott listens intently, "Sounds like someone is getting beaten up. C'mon." Scott grabs my hand and then we see it. A tall gangly boy is getting yelled at by a man, his dad? "You're useless, Son. Can't do one thing I ask you to do." He raises his hand; smack, right across the boy's face."_

_I react in seconds, "Hey! Leave him alone." Living with three older brothers had given me the ability to tackle someone twice my size and still knock them to the ground. The man staggered backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. Once he was down, Scott grabbed my hand and the boy's and we ran for our lives. After we were sure he couldn't catch us, we stopped. I turn to the boy._

_"You okay?"_

_The boy is shaking uncontrollably, "You shouldn't have done that. He's going to be so mad when I get home."_

_I cup his face in my hands, "What's your name?"_

_"I-Isaac. Isaac Lahey."_

_"Well, Isaac Lahey. I'm Grace and this is Scott and we're going to make sure that man never hurts you again okay?"_

_Isaac's still shaking a crying, but for some reason her voice soothes him. He nods, "Okay, yeah."_

_Scott patches him up while I tell Isaac that my mom hurt me once too, "She put me on the oven. I don't know who stopped her but someone did. Then she left me at the hospital and my real Mom adopted me. She can help you too! She helped Scott's mom once as well!"_

_Scott gives Isaac a small reassuring smile. Scott's become a little shy since his dad left, only really coming out of his shell around Stiles. He doesn't know how Grace made him come out of his shell today. Maybe it's her super power? All he knows is that Grace helped him and now he was determined to help Isaac because he cares about the boy and he's been a little scared to care after his mom and dad got a divorce. Isaac has this face that reminds him of a puppy, an innocent face, one with loyalty._

_Maybe the three of them will be okay._

_"_ Anyway, you started to smell smoke so you ran home and sure enough, the house was in flames. You tried to run in, to save your burning family but Isaac and Scott held you down. They said if you went in you'd die to and they couldn't allow that. I think the pup had fallen in love with you already."

_I remember, I remember, I remember._

"Anyway, I crawled out and you found me and I wiped your memories and told you all to run. You did. Now, story time is over. Hand over Scott."


	37. Chapter 37

Lydia doesn't know why but something is _off. _Scott and Grace haven't come back and it's been three minutes and fifty two seconds and she knows she is being stalkerish but she doesn't care. She's worried about her friend and she's more than certain Scott is probably saying something to that effect to Grace right now.

It's that, and the feeling of death is so much stronger now. She can taste dirt, blood and metal in her mouth and her head is aching like a bitch. Her hands are shaking and she knows she has to let it all in so she can find the poor soul about to die.

"Aiden, I'll be right back. I swear I just saw Grace and I need to ask her something." He kisses her on the cheek, mutters a "no problem, babe" and lets her go. He can't hear her lying, mostly because Grace taught her how to keep her heart beat even when telling lies, how to avoid the sweat that smells of fear and deception. She shouldn't be nearly as proud of herself as she is, but being constantly surrounded by lie detectors was beginning to be a pain in the ass. The relief is awesome.

She walks through the door she saw her friends exit and when she saw the stilettos she had lent Grace on the floor she broke out into a run. Grace would never leave them behind unless there was a good reason. Lydia had told her that those had been the shoes she was wearing when she met her ex-boyfriend; Jackson Whittemore. They had sentimental mean and Grace took that very seriously. She didn't know where she was until she heard Peter's voice. _Oh god, please no. Not again. Don't try and kill me again._ And then she thinks could he really be so stupid to try the same thing twice, at the same place during another dance? Surely not.

Lydia froze when she saw Grace and Scott there too, "Anyway, I crawled out and you found me and I wiped your memories and told you all to run. You did. Now, story time is over. Hand over Scott."

Peter turned into his wolf form, with his crystal blue eyes screaming one thing; I've killed an innocent before and I am fine with doing it again. She couldn't believe Grace was helping him all this time. How could she have been so stupid? Peter closes the small space between them but then Grace does something unexpected. She throws herself at Peter, and that's when Lydia screams because it's not Scott McCall being murdered tonight, but Grace Fitzgerald has just signed her own death sentence.


	38. Chapter 38

I knew Lydia could do it. I just kept throwing my hands at Peter, hitting him and clawing him at any exposed flesh I could find, "Run Scott! Protect Lydia! Get the pack!" Throwing a quick glance over my shoulder, I see the boy's face is torn, "GO MCCALL!" He obeys; reluctantly, and grabs Lydia by the arm. They charge out of here to get the pack, although I am sure Lydia's banshee call will make them come running.

Peter grins at me, "So this was your plan all along? Sacrifice your life for an Alpha? You kept it hidden well, Grace. I commend your efforts."

"You could get in my head; I had to plant some fake evidence."

"Smart girl."

I hear footsteps, and I think maybe my salvation has arrived in the form of teen wolves, emissaries, humans and a hunter. _The Calvary has arrived. _ I am dearly mistake though, because in my split second of distraction Peter Hale grabs me and turns me so that I am facing them. They stop in their place, knowing what's about to happen. They all look so nice in their suits and dresses. Their faces are horrified, eyes being filled with tears. I manage a smile because the last thing I'll see is my pack; my family.

I look over to Isaac. He's so helpless, standing there waiting for me to die. He knows if he even tries I'll be dead within a moment. "Love you," I mouth.

Peter slashes my throat, and for one horrible moment I am struggling to breathe. It's worse than any of my attacks and it hurts. _Oh fuck it hurts. _But then the pain fades, and everything goes black.


	39. Chapter 39

"Love you," is all Isaac can think about as he attacks Peter. How could he have been so stupid? Hindsight made everything so fucking obvious, and it killed him. He was so blinded by anger and pain he couldn't see what was in front of him.

The pack ends up killing Peter. They rip his body to shreds and scatter the pieces away from each other, because that way they know he can't do what he did with Lydia. They don't know how they manage to do it so quickly. Later they'll put it down to adrenaline because of watching their friend be killed. They then turn their attentions to Grace because _Grace Fitzgerald can't die. _It's a more horrible ending than Christopher Johnson McCandless who does all these amazing things and then he eats a poisonous plant and gets so sick that _even the fucking bear does not want to eat him._ It's like Will quitting the news; he just cant. _She just can't._

Isaac's voice sounds foreign to him, "Scott, you have to bite her. She'll die unless you bite her."

"What if it doesn't take? What if she dies?"

"She's going to die regardless."

Both boys are sobbing now, along with Derek and Cora. Derek, Cora and Isaac can't lose another person. They have already lost so many people in their lives.

_They can't lose her too._

"Please! She said her parents' okay-ed it in their will? If she was dying she has permission to get the bite. Right Derek? Right?"

It's devastating how Derek just simply nods, "Scott, please. Cora and I. She's all we have."

Scott makes the decision right then that he has to bite Grace. He lets his fangs sink down, and when he sinks them into her side she screams. "Please wake up. Keep on running, cause one day they may give up on chasing you, darling. Keep on fighting, because one day those demons will take their lasts breaths, and you'll still be here. Just keep on going, because I love you and I need you and I swear to god if you leave me…well; I don't know what I'll do. I'll keep on living, because I know you'd want me to. I'll keep breathing and eating and walking and going to work and school, because I know you'd want me to. I won't be whole though, or alive. I'll just be a ghost because my entire reason to get up in the morning will be gone. So please, pull through. Please, please, please wake up. I need you, love. I really need you."

Everyone's hearts break as Isaac clings and whispers to her. Derek is holding Cora, scared she might disappear too. Allison places a hand on Scott's shoulder, "I called your mom. I know she might heal in a couple hours, but if she doesn't…"

He nods and then they all begin to lift Grace and put her in the Camaro Allison drives and Derek rides with her. Cora can barely stand and so Stiles has to hold her up as they sprint to the jeep. Lydia slips her hand into Isaac's and drags him along, as he is unable to move. They all get their own way to the loft, and they all pray that they were together and that Grace would be okay.


	40. Chapter 40

Dying was actually peaceful, surprisingly enough. I mean, yes at first I was scared. Shit, I was terrified. But it's peaceful once you've crossed over. That's a thing, right? The other side? I'd like to think so. I'd hate to think my parents and brothers and the Hales just died and that was it. What a cheat that would be. But yeah, after the whole pain thing subsided, dying was kind of nice; except the aching of my body. Why did I ache so much? I thought dead people weren't meant to feel stuff. Numbness was the word that came to mind when I thought of the dead. I mean, yeah emotional pain comes with the territory, that's why we have ghosts that come back with vengeances and stuff. Physically though? Numb.

Voices fill my ears, "We'd know if it hadn't taken already. Trust me." Derek?

"It's been 6 hours, Derek?"

Six hours? Oh god, was that smell me? Why did I smell? Why could I hear Derek and Isaac? Aren't I meant to be dead? The voices fade out, and I am left with silence again. Derek…Isaac…I'd never argue with Derek again. Never joke with him. I'd never kiss Isaac again. And Cora! I'd never get to hear how it went with Stiles, if it even went with Stiles. I'd never have Lydia force me into being her Barbie doll and I'd never finish helping her or Danny or Stiles or Allison. I'd never hear Stiles' jokes again, or talk with Allison about gymnastics. I'd never be forced to watch one of the couples make out and I'd never go to a lacrosse game again. I'd never get to tell Morrell how much she had helped be since I started seeing her; how much she helped me open up. I'd never get to thank the Sheriff for _that day. _And I'd never get to talk to Melissa about my mom. There were so many things that I would never get to do again or for a first time. I never had my first drink. I never got to have sex. I never got to graduate high school and go to college and I never found out more about my birth dad. I never got to make my family proud. The darkness that held me began to fade, and suddenly I see a very familiar room. It's my room. But, how? I'm dead, aren't I?

I see a very familiar face sitting at the desk in my room. He's reading one of the novels I left open on my desk and I smile. Isaac's always been curious. I leave him alone in my room for five minutes and he's always picked up some item in it, examining it like a specimen to be dissected. He's still in his outfit from the dance, and I smile. "Hey, Iz. You look good."

My throat really hurts, and it's all worth it to see the shock that forms in his face, and even better when it transforms into a smile. "She's awake! Oh god, you're awake. Thank you for not dying." He's kissing my forehead and muttering into my skin. The others are soon in the door way and when I open my mouth Lydia shoves a note pad and pencil into my hands, "No speaking. Ms. McCall's orders."

I nod and begin writing, "Hey."

I show it to them and they groan. Derek then loses it, "Are you serious? You could have died, Grace. Dead. Like no longer breathing, living, existing dead."

_"You put your life on the line all the time."_

"That's different. I was Alpha then, and big brother. Youre-"

_Human?_

"Yes, you are."

_I didn't mean to upset you._

"I'm more relieved you're alive than anything else."

I smile at him, and then I see Scott, _I am so sorry; I was never going to let him hurt you. It's cool if you don't believe me but thank you for trusting me and I am so sorry and thank you._

Scott laughed when he saw my messy scrawl, "Breathe, dude. I know. Stiles gave me your letter. If you wrote me a letter, you were planning it all along. But, you gotta promise me you'll never do that again. We're pack. I'm your Alpha. You tell me these things, and we deal with it together, okay?"

_No promises._

Scott rolled his eyes.

"Grace, why didn't you say anything to any of us?" Derek's voice is in pain. He thinks he's failed me, but I think it's more the other way around. I fucked up. Derek came up with a plan, a plan to be a semi normal family with normal problems like dating and grades and where to go on vacation, and I messed it all up.

_He threatened to kill Isaac,"_ I frown and scribble out Isaac's name and replace it with_ "__whoever I told. I couldn't let you guys die. I had a plan and I executed it perfectly."_

"Dying was a part of your plan," Stiles questioned.

_Well, kinda. I mean, I am not stupid enough to think I could have beaten Peter. He fights dirty. I was cool with dying. Well, I was shit scared actually. But yeah, to protect you lot._

"You're such an idiot," Isaac mumbles into my hair. When the others came into the room he sat beside me on the bed and kept his arm around my waist. It was nice; his presence was something I missed.

I scribbled one last thing on the piece of paper; _Yeah, but I'm YOUR idiot._

That copped groans from the on lookers, but I didn't care. I was with my pack. _My family. _I've been lucky enough to have four families in my time; my birth mother, who was a cruel woman, my family I grew up with, the family I identified the words safety and love with, my family with Derek and Laura which was an attempt to fill a void and bond made from hopelessness and then there's my pack; who I would live and die for. Each one has shaped me to be the person I am today. Yes, some who should have been more caring weren't. Like Duke Frederick to Duke Senior in As You Like it. But hey, I found my Forest of Arden, and that counts for something right?

* * *

**So, that concludes Battlefield. I hope you enjoyed it! I am working on a part two, and I will continue it here. It's much easier than trying to make another story and what not and now it will all be in the one place. Thank you for going on this journey with Grace and Isaac (and me).**

**Battlefield Part 2 will commence in two days time :)**


	41. Chapter 41

**I know I said two days buuuuuut I am a dirty rotten liar. BATTLEFIELD PART TWO, LADIES AND GENTS.**

* * *

"So, how are things?"

We're in my hospital room. I've been out of surgery for 4 hours and I already feel like I can speak again. The room is standard; the blue walls with white plastic floors and the stench of disinfectant filled my nostrils in an attempt to suffocate me.

Pardon the pun.

Morrell and Derek decided I need a session, since I was totally ready to die and everything. The morphine from going under the knife began to wear off an hour ago and Der called Morrell straight away. I know he wants to be able to talk to me about it, but he's scared of getting over emotional and saying something he shouldn't. Cora's busy at work, having a shift she can't get out of and Isaac and I had a very enthusiastic silent fight complete with very rude hand gestures when he came by before the surgery. Morrell was the safest choice by far.

"Good, I think. I mean, I can talk. I am alive. I didn't help kill Scott."

My voice is raspy, typical of someone who hasn't spoken in a long time. Last night after the conversation in the loft, I was rushed to hospital because I wasn't healing right. I still had the slashes on my throat, the bite on my waist and the burns on my arm. I think it was safe to say I wasn't a werewolf.

Morrell hands me a glass of water and I drink it eagerly, "Thanks."

She smiles, "So, why were you helping Peter? When you found out he was alive and about what he did to Lydia and Laura, you reacting very-"

"Like I was going to kill him?"

"Poorly, I was going to say poorly," she laughs.

"I wasn't ever going to help Peter. I had to buy some time in order to save Scott. Peter also threatened to kill Isaac. I could not let him hurt Iz."

"You really love him, don't you?"

I nod slowly, "Yeah. I do."

"Derek said you two had a fight earlier on."

"Yeah, I can't even remember what it was about, I think I was getting annoyed at his fussing over me like I'm someone who needs taking care of. He knows how much I hate that. There is a bit of…tension between us, to say the least. I didn't tell him what was happening, and I think that hurt him because it made him think I didn't trust him. I pushed him away. He got with another girl. I led him on big time with the showing up at his house, and then at the dance we kissed and danced together. I sang a song to him, Morrell."

"I think you've earned the right to call me Marin, Grace. I can understand how Isaac feels, having been in his position, but I understand how you feel to because of Derek. You were trying to do the right thing and let him go but you just couldn't. It's very human. Very normal. Does he know though? About the threat to his life?"

I shake my head, running my hand through my hair. I get up from my bed, a little unsteady on my feet, and make my way to the bathroom in my room. I stand in the mirror, examining myself. I haven't been able to shower and the stench of body odour is starting to overpower me. My neck is wrapped in a bandage, hiding my scars from view. There are a few bruises on my face from the struggle. I touch them, wincing. I don't like the girl staring back at me. She looks broken.

"Do you think Derek will let me cut my hair?"

Morrell-Marin, is behind me, tilting her head to the side. She brings her hands up to my hair and collects it all in her hands, bringing it to the nape of my neck. It brings back memories of the one time I came home drunk at the age of 14 and spewing up the contents of my stomach with Laura holding back my hair to make sure it didn't get caught in the cross fire.

"Why do you want to cut it?"

"Isn't that what people are meant to do after a near death experience? Do something extreme with their appearance? At first I was thinking piercings and a tattoo but then I though cutting my hair and dying it some insane colour would be better." Maggie Jordan cut off all of her hair and then died it brown because she was holding the little boy when he died. It was a symbol, "_I'm messed up and I am trying to deal with it."_

"I'll talk to him for you, though I am sure you have more pull with him then I do."

"Nah, you have him wrapped around your little finger, Marin."

She laughs at that, and sits on the bath's edge and looks up at me, "You died, Grace. Dying has quite an effect on a person."

My voice cracks a little, "I know, but so does living. I just couldn't let Peter hurt any of them. I love them all so much. I'd rather them live without me then I live without them. Is that selfish?"

"It's human. Were you okay with dying?"

Was I? At the time I thought I was ready, but Cora and Stiles have been making a list of reasons why I shouldn't be so stupid and want to live…all the things I would have missed out on. It was a pretty extensive list.

LIST OF REASONS WHY GRACE SHOULD KEEP LIVING OR SHE WILL MISS OUT ON STUFF

She has to see Cora and Stiles get married

She has to go to university

She has to patch things up with Isaac

She has to back pack across the country, Europe, Asia and Australia

She has to keep making Sour Wolf smile

She has to keep making Lydia believe in herself

She has to keep cockblocking Stiles (NO SHE DOESN'T. STOP DOING THAT PLEASE GRACE)

She has to do the _sex thing _with Isaac (STILES, STOP BEING INAPPROPRIATE YOU DORK)

She has to keep teaching Scott, Isaac and Stiles to dance and woo their women

She has to _live_

Those were the top 10 reasons. After that they get a little ridiculous, but I love it so much. Thinking about the list, I realize I would do anything for these people. I loved them. I was ready to die for them. Now, I had to live for them.

"For them I would do anything."

"I have to ask, have you ever self harmed?"

I knew this question would come up eventually in our sessions. I was sort of surprised it had taken her this long to ask, but Marin Morrell was a woman who let you talk while she listened. She would prompt you along at times but conversational topics were always your own choice. Last night, however, I was ready to sacrifice myself in order to save my friends. I was so ready and eager to accept death, the question begged to be ask. I had had those feelings once, but never again.

"The first anniversary of the fire, I put a razor to my wrist. I had heard some of the older girls talking about it, about how good it felt. I decided to try it. Neither Laura nor Derek was home. Laura was at work and Derek had basketball practice after school. I was bleeding pretty badly when I was done and when I began to dispose of the evidence, Derek burst into my room."

His eyes were crazy. I had never seen him madder or more upset in his life.

"He snatched the razor from me and said, 'I ever see you doing this again, I ever smell blood on you or anything, there will be trouble, because goddammit Grace, Lor and I _need_ you.'"

It's not how a normal person would react to the situation, but the relationship I shared with Derek wasn't normal. By that stage he was a big brother to me, but he was also a friend; someone brought closer to me by tragedy. I think if he did anything other than what he did I wouldn't have stopped.

"The first and only time. Derek made sure of it."

We end up talking about death and the consequences my dying will have on me; this darkness surrounding me, similar to what happened to Stiles, Scott and Allison after they served as pseudo-sacrifices for their parents. It was why I was clashing with Isaac so much apparently.

Morrell ended up helping me talk Derek into letting me do something drastic with my hair. I ended up cutting it to my shoulders, much shorter than my previous mid back length. I also chemically straightened it and died the under layer a violet purple. I know it's silly, but a new hair style made me feel different; a little more kick ass and a little less _weak. _A change on the outside to represent the change on the inside; I just hoped I hadn't changed too much.


	42. Chapter 42

I'm annoying Derek at work because Grace keeps forcing everyone to go about their normal routines because "life goes on."

"Derek, how did I not put two and two together? I was such a dick to her. Peter came to the school that day and Grace freaked out and I didn't think why. I was just so angry."

Derek doesn't even look up from his paper work that he has to fill out for the gym. Some idiot dropped weights on their foot and so he was stuck filling in the incident report. Morons.

"None of us realized anything. We were all shit to her. Allison came in yesterday saying the same thing, Stiles the day before that."

"Lydia realized."

"Lydia is a banshee. It's her job to realize bad things are about to happen."

"I feel so damn guilty."

"So do I."

It's the first and only time Derek will admit that out loud. It's never his fault; the bad things. He just lets himself fall for people who are a little radical and insane, Grace included. How could Derek not realize what was happening under his own roof? _He was praying that it would all be okay. We all were._

The conversation doesn't continue though, because Grace waltzes through the automatic doors with a smile on her face. I haven't seen her since her surgery, when we fought. She's got a bandage around her throat to keep her injuries safe and she walks with a wince because of the bite on her hip. Her hair…I'm staring at it as she walks up to Derek and I. She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and gives me a slight nod.

"Hey, Der. Lissa called and said you'd be staying late so I brought you dinner." Her voice is still raspy. Stiles said that Cora is insisting that Grace continue the notepad thing so her voice isn't permanently like that and Grace argues back that how is a foot meant to heal properly if you don't walk on it.

"You, Grace Fitzgerald, are a life saver."

The comment makes her laugh and Derek only realizes why a moment later, "You have such a sick sense of humour."

"By product of living with you and Lor," she shoots back.

Derek pinches the bridge of his nose, "You come to give me grief too? Is it "Lets-see-how-many-teenagers-can-annoy-Derek-in-an -hour" day?"

"Nope, just dropping off your dinner like a good _normal _adopted child."

She goes to leave and before I stop myself I say, 'What did you do to your hair?"

She runs her hands through it self consciously, "Is it that bad?"

I shrug and Derek rolls his eyes, "The two of you need to sort out your shit."

She laughs, "Baby steps, Der. Just got out of hospital and you're expecting me to be a saint already?"

Grace gives Derek a quick peck on the cheek, "Do you need a ride to anywhere Isaac?"

Shit. When had it gotten so dark? I had caught the bus here because Scott had needed my car for a date with Allison and now I was stranded thanks to Scott's new "No going out at night unless you have someone else with you" rule.

"Do you mind?"

She shakes her head, "Bye Der! See you at home."

We exit the gym and get in the car, "So how come you're delivery girl?"

"Cora's with Stiles. I'm giving them some room since I ruined their special evening for after the dance."

It takes a moment for what Grace is saying to sink it, "Oh."

"Yep, it's sort of disgustingly adorable how perfect Stiles has been trying to make it. Rose petals, candles, classical music and all."

"Cora likes that? I mean, it's _Cora."_

"Cora likes Stiles. I think they could do it in an alley way and it would still be perfect for the pair of them."

I nod my head slowly, "And what about you? Ever pictured your first time like that? All that sappy romance stuff?"

Grace blushes a deep red, keeping her eyes trained on the road, "Ah, I pictured it to be in a moment of passion, you know? No planning or anything. Just me and my person; together. We could be joking and then the next moment there would be kissing and hands and I'd know I was ready."

"You are way more of a romantic than you let on to be."

She sticks her tongue out at this and then freezes, "Hey, is Scott with Allison tonight?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just a thought."

We pull up outside of my house and she waves me off, "See ya, man." She speeds off in the direction of the Argent apartment.

Great. Just another girl I lost to Scott McCall.


	43. Chapter 43

When I let Isaac out of the car I couldn't help but think that was the strangest conversation I had ever had, only made weirder with the feeling of knowing Scott was with Allison. I tore off in the direction of the Argent Apartment, with the sinking knowledge that last time I had been there things hadn't gone so well.

Things were better now between the Argents and I now. Allison apologized profusely for her actions, and I accepted because she was just defending the people she loved. How could I deny her that? Chris and I were a different story. We respected each other's knowledge of the supernatural, and the ability to defend ourselves against it, but that was it.

I knocked on the door and Chris answered, "Hi Grace, Allison is out with Scott right now."

"That's cool. I was actually hoping to see you."

A quizzical look crossed his face, but he quickly replaced it with a welcoming smile, "Well, come on in. I assumed this is business?"

I nod, following him through to his study, "I know it's a lot to ask, especially considering our past interactions."

He waves his hand dismissively, "You were right, that day with Isaac. We-I, I thought I was doing the right thing, helping take down those werewolves. I had no part to play in the death of your family, but that doesn't mean I didn't help tear others a part. I'm sorry for what my sister did. I am sorry for what my father did. I'm sorry for anything I or any member of my family has done."

I wipe away any tears that have fallen, and nod, scared my voice might break. He knows it means thank you. He knows the weight of what he just said and I can't help but admire Chris Argent for being so tough.

"What was it you needed?"

"Right. Did you have any information on true alphas? And the effect they have on those they bite?"

He hums for a moment, "They become werewolves, typically."

"Do they share some kind of connection? Like a bond?"

"Derek would know the answers to these questions, Grace."

"Yes, but he worries. You don't. You know I'm a big girl and can handle myself. Do they share a connection?"

He rummages through some papers on his desk, quickly scanning them for information. I guess he'd had the same questions I had. He shakes his head, "Before Scott, a True Alpha hadn't existed for at least 100 years."

"Meaning any documentation is most likely wrong or buried. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

* * *

Note pad: _"__So, how am I alive?"_

Derek: _"Scott bit you."_

Note pad: _"Thanks, Scott. But that would mean I'm a werewolf? Which means I would have healed…and I obviously haven't if I am writing instead of talking."_

Scott: _"Then you're immune like Lydia."_

Note pad: _"Lydia wasn't immune. She just wasn't a werewolf, she was a Banshee."_

Lydia: _"She's right you know."_

_Silence._

Stiles: _"What the hell are you?"_

That conversation took place five days ago, and we hadn't gotten any further with figuring out what I was. Stiles said as long as I wasn't some creepy ass Kanima he was fine with whatever I was because _we've done Kanimas, come on supernatural world, throw something _good _at us._

"Hey,"

"Hey."

I slam my head against my locker. It was my first day back at school since the "incident." It was also the six year anniversary of the Hale-Fitzgerald fire. I tried not to focus on the latter part. By now everyone has heard the official story of the dance; I came to Beacon Hills to escape a crazy ex and he tracked me down and found me with Scott. When he saw us, he wasn't happy. He lost it and knocked Scott out and then slit my throat because "if he couldn't have me, no one could", a line kindly provided to us by Allison. Something about a boy named Matt. Anyway, Lydia and Aiden found us, having gone out on to the lacrosse field to have some alone time. They saw me and Scott and the rest is history…kind of.

The story hasn't stopped people from coming up with their own versions of the truth. It's only 8:23 AM and so far I have heard the following things:

Isaac did it as revenge for me breaking up with him

Allison did it because we have an apparent history and Scott helped her

Erotic Asphyxiation

Suicide attempt

Cora did it because she thought I was taking away her brother.

In summary, I hate people. Lydia keeps telling me to keep my chin up, be proud of my scars because they mean I am a survivor and to not frown; because somebody could be falling in love with my smile. Isaac wasn't too happy with that comment. Speaking of Isaac, we weren't together still. It was a conversation the pair of us kept dancing around, and I had my doubts on whether we would ever get back together. It was such a struggle the first time, with both of us being incredibly shy and unsure. Now we had history. We had the break up, Rebecca, the anger and the full moon driven hallway make out.

I had started pulling out my books for English when said werewolf appeared by my side. The head slamming was a result of more whispering and pointing. I don't even look at him, eyes trained on the grey metal in front of me, "I can't do this today. I'm not as strong and tough and brave as Lydia or you or Cora or Scott or the others. I wanna be but I'm not. Wanna ditch? I mean, Derek kind of told me and Cora no more of it, to focus on school and stuff but I am pretty sure I have a valid excuse. Just this once. Melissa won't be happy though. I can always go hang out at Derek's work if you're not cool with it."

As part of the new family plan that Derek devised, he got a job at the local gym as a trainer and goes to the local community college to keep up with classes so that when Cora and I leave for school, Derek can go back to Columbia to finish his degree. Combined, the three of us had enough insurance money to live off forever, with all the trimmings, but we were being normal; working for our living and all that.

"I'll come."

I look at him, a little shocked, "Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want. I mean, we aren't a thing anymore so don't feel like you have any obligation towards me,"

Isaac just rolls his eyes, "Are we going or not?"

I grin, "I just got to quickly speak to Morrell, but I'll meet you out the front? Just do me a favour? I left a back pack under the stage on Friday, could you please grab it?"

He nods and I give him a quick wave before going off to find Morrell. She wasn't on class so I go to her office and knock on the door. I hear a giggle and Morrell call out hello, "Ah, hey. It's Grace Fitzgerald." She laughs and opens the door, "We're being polite and formal now?" I shrug.

"Hey tall, dark and handsome are you hiding from me?" Derek comes out from his hiding place and has a sheepish look on his face, "Bus-ted."

"Well, you aren't very subtle. I hope nothing inappropriate was going on here, I mean, I don't want to sit here and try and talk about my hopeless teen years and wonder where in this room has been… broken in."

Derek's face suddenly turns serious, "Is my dating Marin going to be an issue? I get it if it is."

I frown, "Why would it be an issue? As long as you're both happy and this is serious for both of you, I mean you aren't playing each other are you?"

They both shake their head, "She makes me real happy, Baby G."

"And you don't tell him anything I tell you?"

"Not unless I believe you're a harm to yourself or others, then I have a legal obligation to do so."

"Morrell."

"I don't. Sometimes he'll guess it. Sometimes he'll ask me what to talk to you about, but what's said stays between us."

"Awesome. Plus, I'm the kid and you're the adult, dude. What you say goes."

He just shakes his head, "Is there a reason you came here or are you just being a pain in the butt?"

"Oh, yeah. I am ditching with Isaac. I came to ask if we can reschedule our session for tomorrow."

"Is before school okay?"

"Perfect."

"G-"

"I think she deserves to be reckless for a day, babe. It'll do her some good, especially considering what today is. She'll be with Mr. Lahey. As if the kid would let any harm come to her. Go. Have fun."

I grin, and run outside to meet Isaac. Today, despite the ever lingering sadness, was going to be awesome.


	44. Chapter 44

"Took you long enough!"

"Sorry, I went to see Morrell and Derek was there and so of course I had to give Coach Finstock's "Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves" speech. I have waited so long to give Derek a speech like that."

I know she's lying, but I let it go. She deserves to have a day pretending its all okay. I hand her back pack, "You got a dead body in there or something?" It weighs at least 20 pounds and I may or may not have peaked inside. It contained a bunch of books, some clothes, cash and a video camera. That was one of Grace's other talents. She was dedicated to school and training, she sang and she wrote and she liked to video things. I think it started with her dancing, but she moved on to having it permanently attached to her hand when we were out.

"No, just the runaway essentials," she says nonchalantly.

"If you lived you were still gonna run?" I don't know why, but it angers me. She was still going to abandon me _all to save Scott._ I feel like all the girls in my life run to him.

"Isaac, can we please not fight? That's all we've done since I've been able to speak again. No, since I've been _alive _again. We were fighting over a note pad for crying out loud. Let's have a day like it used to be, before we started dating and the break up and Rebecca and everything, please."

There's a pleading in her voice and I sigh, "Pass me the camcorder." She complies and I open it and point it at her, "Okay, what are we doing, Electra Heart?"

She grins, "Well, if Ferris Bueller has taught me anything is that you don't squander an opportunity like this. We must do something crazy and wild and maybe even have an insane musical number just because we can."

"You're such a weirdo."

"Takes one to know one," she retorts, sticking out her tongue. "Hey, you eaten yet?"

I shake my head, "Well, I happen to have the keys of a very sexy Camaro and I am craving diner food. You in?"

"Do I have a choice?"

She grabs my hand and drags me in the direction of the Camaro, "No, I didn't think so."


	45. Chapter 45

When we walk into the diner it's buzzing with life, far busier than I've ever seen it. Then again, I usually go during the lulls since I hung out here as a fugitive. Mags spots us and bustles her way over. "Oh thank god you're alright, kid. You know the heart attack you put me through? Every day since that first day you're in here like clock work and then suddenly you're not because you were attacked! How you healing up? Are you okay?"

Grace smiles at her, "I'm doing okay actually. Doc's pretty happy with my recovery, although he's doubtful about me being able to sing again."

Mags hugs her, "Usual? You too, Isaac?"

We both nod and make our way to a booth; coincidentally it's the same booth we sat in the first time we were here together. I point the camera at her, "Every day like clockwork, huh?"

She blushes a deep red, the heat stretching from her sweater collar to her hairline. "Yup, it's nice. Wake up at five, get dressed, come here, eat and write for a bit and then order two coffees for the walking dead back home. Those two are horrible to live with before they've had their first caffeine hit in the morning. I personally blame Laura for their addiction and I blame Laura's addiction on Rory and Lorelai Gilmore because she was obsessed with that show. She wanted to be Lorelai so bad."

"Why here though? Coffee shops and diners in town are closer."

"You know why, asshole."

I make a face that suggests I have no clue why.

"Oh god, you're gonna make me say it aren't you? Isaac Lahey you are a cruel man and this is unusual punishment. Here because we came here together okay. This is where I first started to think of us as an "us". Happy?" She throws her head in her hands and stays like that until Mags brings the food over. We eat in silence. I think back to what she said to Mags about not being able to sing again.

"The Doctor really said you won't be able to sing again?"

She touches the bandage around her neck and nods softly, "It puts too much of a strain on my vocal chords. The surgery turned out great but it just couldn't fix me the whole way up."

After Grace woke up we had to rush her to the hospital. Her throat was in so much pain that it was something we couldn't avoid. We made up a story and we stuck to it. Sheriff Stilinski and Melissa helping us cheat the system. I knew she was happy with the results of the surgery, she was able to talk again after all, but singing did something else to her. It filled her up and it gave her a way to express her emotions. It was her anesthesia.

"I'm so sorry."

"You didn't slit my throat. Plus, I got to sing Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran to you as my last song. I am pretty happy with that."

"It was dedicated to me?"

She kicks me under the table and rolls her eyes. "You know fair well that it was for you."

"It's just nice hearing you say it."

"Dork."

"Spaz."

"I love you."

"Grace…"

"What? I do. And to quote Augustus Waters, "I am not in the business of denying myself the pleasure of saying true things." Dude, I get you can't say it back. I fucked up big time. I know that, okay? But I was trying to protect you. Peter has…had a way of knowing exactly which buttons to press in order to get someone to do what he wants. He threatened…he threatened someone I deeply care about. Someone I wouldn't have been able to live without. He promised me something as well, something involving my family and the fire. _I fucked up and I know it."_

"Who did he threaten?"

My question doesn't get an answer because the crowd in the diner is getting impatient, people flittering about and huffing and moaning about not getting seats. When a family with three boys and a girl enters, Grace waves them over and gives them our seats, "Here, best seats in the house. Enjoy your day!" They thank her and we go to pay and leave, throwing a wave at Mags who is trying to carry four plates at once. As we exit, a disgruntled man who isn't looking where he's going bumps into my shoulder and drops his newspaper. I quickly pick it up for him but not before the title jumps out at me; **"BEACON HILLS MOST TRAGIC EVENT, THE HALE FIRE, SIX YEARS ON." **

I look up at Grace; she's already seen the paper and is out the door, sitting on the Camaro's hood. I hand the guy his paper and quickly follow her out there, the law of Grace and Isaac making reappearance. She's looking down at her red converse, and I am seriously wondering if those are the only shoes she owns. Her hair is out today, something I've only seen three times. Once the night she turned up outside my house, the dance and today. It's covering her bandage and I can tell she's using it to shield her from today's reality. She lost her family and almost her own life and she was expected to go to school and ignore the whispers. No wonder she asked to ditch. I was only glad she asked me to go with her. It was funny, the first time we were at this very diner she said if I ever needed someone to run away with that she would be it. Today she needed someone and I was it. We've talked about running away together before, but it was different; more emotional than anything. I sat beside her on the car, and she leaned her head against my shoulder. I couldn't help but lean in to her. Yes, we weren't dating, but I cared about her deeply. Back inside, when she said she loved me, I wanted to say it back so bad, but there's just so many things hanging around us both. Stuff we hadn't really had time to clear, but I had hope. I mean, Scott and Allison overcame the odds eventually.

"I know what you're going to say. You're going to ask me if I'm okay and all that bullshit, but I can't think about it today, okay? It hurts badly enough on a regular day. Today's just…it's too much."

I throw a grin at her, and then to the Camaro and back at her, "Actually, I was going to ask how the hell you keep talking Derek into giving you the Camaro. He wouldn't let Erica, Boyd and I near it. Cora has asked a couple times but he's always said no. And now he drives the Toyota soccer mom van, and he lets you have this. Teach me your ways of persuasion, Fitzgerald."

She pats the car, smiling as she does at some memory. "We saved forever to get this car; Laura, Der and I. Lor wanted to do a road trip across America, but in style. We finally got enough money the year I turned 14, and it will always be the best summer of my life. I think remembering kind of kills him a little, that's why he doesn't talk about Laura much, or his parents or his little brother or his cousins or my family. Remembering those he's lost is just too painful. I think Morrell's, _Marin, _is helping him with that. Anyway, the road trip was Laura's idea. She chose the car. She would sit in the front passenger seat, making Derek drive, and the would have her feet sticking out the window, her hair down and Ray Bans on and she would sing so damn loud and out of key to whatever song was playing."

Grace is crying a little and smiling a little, torn between missing Laura and laughing at her dorkiness, "She was so beautiful, Isaac. She was sweet and kind and a little crazy and super smart but sometimes she could be such a bitch. And, fuck, did her and Derek fight. Every day it was something new. Then they would spar and whoever won was declared champion of the world; until tomorrow. I think being in the car reminds him of it, but he doesn't want anyone tainting those memories. I was there, so I get to drive it."

"Sometimes I forget he wasn't born at 22. That he had a life before us."

"Yeah, anyway, get in. Next stop."


	46. Chapter 46

"Well, we know how she's dealing with today, but what about you? How are you feeling?" Marin is sitting in her chair at her desk, and Derek is leaning against in next to her. Her hand is threaded through his and he can't help but try to find the ground the most interesting thing right now because Derek wants to cry but he can't cry in front of her. He hasn't cried in front of anyone since Paige died and his mom found him.

"I have no idea. I'm just worried about Cora and Grace. They both put up this front, but inside they're still kids. Kids without parents because they died because I couldn't keep it in my pants."

"Hey, hey, _hey," _Morrell is standing up, her hands cupping Derek's face. "Don't you ever say that again. Kate Argent did that, not you. She would have seen you or Peter or someone around town and recognized you as werewolves. Grace told me about her conversation with Chris. She asked if she was there would it have made a difference, would they still be alive. You know what he said? He said he'd like to think so but probably not because Kate was disturbed. She took after Gerard and we all know what he's like. All of you blame yourselves. Stop it, okay? You need to stop it."

Derek looks at her with this look of utmost adoration on his face. He loves the woman sitting before him; completely. Yes, once upon a time she worked for the other side, but she was just doing her job as an emissary to balance nature. And she helped Scott, and no matter how much he pretended he hated the adolescence in his life, he loved them too. Her helping Scott was her helping him. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind Marin's ear, and then traces his hand along her jaw until his hand is under her chin. He lifts her head and slowly leans in so their lips meet. It's tender, soft and full of love.

Suddenly Cora bursts in the door, followed by Scott and Stiles, "Shit, sorry." Derek and Marin break away from their kiss with a grin, "Nah, what's wrong Cora?"

"Allison texted Scott that Grace never came to English."

"Yeah it's okay, she swung by. She's with Isaac. Today's...tough for her. It's tough for all of us."

Cora hugs her brother, holding him tight, "I worry about her."

"I worry about both of you. How're you doing?"

"It's hard. Being with you and her makes it better. Stiles makes it better. You?"

"Better knowing you're doing okay."

"Maybe we should do something for the anniversary? We could do a vigil type thing? We've all lost people. I mean, Dad and I could talk about Mom. We could show her we understand and we're here for her."

Cora wraps her arms around her boyfriend's waist, "Stiles, you don't have to do that."

"Yeah I do, Cor. For you and Grace and Sour Wolf. It's something we shoulda done ages ago. Scotty boy, get in touch with the rest of the pack. Invite your Mom and Allison's dad too. Everyone needs to be there."

Scott nods. He may be the True Alpha, but his best friend had all the great ideas. For that, he was thankful.


	47. Chapter 47

Grace is pulling me through the cemetery, muttering to herself as she does, "He said here." She's positioning me in front of a head stone when I get a text from Scott: **OPERATION FIX GRACE. WE'RE HAVING A MEMORIAL FOR EVERYONE WE'VE EVER LOVED AND LOST. KEEP HER AWAY FROM THE LOFT UNTIL 6. **I grinned, "Who was that?"

"Scott."

"Ah," Shes twisting my shoulders and kicking one of my feet in order to push it back. After she steps back, she tilts her head. "Perfect."

"What's perfect? Me?"

This makes her laugh, "Yes, you. So, Isaac do you remember the first time we met?"

"At the party?"

She shakes her head; grinning. "Nuhp. We met six years ago to the day in this very spot. I was with you the day of the fire. Peter told me."

"It's _Peter,_ Grace." Oh god, she's lost it. She's seriously lost it.

"I haven't lost it, you dick. Hear me out. Haven't you ever wondered what made you come up to me at that party? There were so many other girls the same as me, yet you chose me. Haven't you wondered why even though you didn't trust Scott at first, he still said he didn't want you to hurt? Think, Lahey. There is no such thing as coincidence in our world."

She's right, there isn't such a thing as coincidence in the supernatural world. There's a reason for anything. I hadn't given much thought as to why I walked up to Grace that night. I always thought it was because Allison was with Scott and I saw a hot girl who could be a fun distraction. Thinking that now I was guilty. Grace was so much more than a distraction. The same way Aiden ended up meaning so much more to Lydia, minus the tons of casual sex. Thinking about it now, Grace wasn't super-hot. God, she was gorgeous, but in a more classic way. She wasn't the type of girl that guys would see and say "I want to bang her so bad." She looked like the kind of girl you wanted to talk to, to take home to your parents. Her looks must not have been the reason. It was insane. I saw her, and I just had to speak to her.

With Scott, I always just assumed was because he was the kindest guy ever, who always wanted to do the right thing. I didn't think it was because we had some mysterious history.

"Melissa needed a baby sitter for Scott, and my mom offered. They worked together on a case once and Melissa was the nurse who assisted in my adoption. Anyway, Scott and I were playing zombies in the cemetery. We ended up here. We saw what your dad was doing to you, Isaac. I wanted to be sick."

I remember that. Camden had just died and my dad had wanted me to clean his head stone. I ended up wandering off and my dad found me here. I remember seeing two young kids running to my rescue. I let out a breath, "You tackled my dad. And then he threatened to kill you."

She nods enthusiastically, "You're remembering! Anyway, your dad stumbles away and Scott starts patching you up, because his mom was the nurse and I wasn't exactly the most gentle 11 year old on the planet."

"After he was done you said you'd help me. You held my hand and pulled up your sleeves and said you knew what it was like, being hurt by someone who was meant to love you. You showed me your burns, and you said your mom saved you and that she could save me as well."

"We started walking back to the house. I smelt smoke and took off like a mad woman. You and Scott weren't far behind me. I was about to run in when you grabbed me. You said, "You saved me today, I'm not about to let you die.""

We're both crying, it's dramatic and intense but we're both sobbing, "Peter took away the memory. And you had to go home to that man. I am so sorry I couldn't save you Isaac."

I pull her close, "I'm sorry for holding you back."

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

She looks up at me, and I press a kiss to her lips. I pull back but then her hand is on the back on my neck; pulling my lips back to hers. I never thought when I was working here that I would be making out in this grave yard. Her hand slips from where they're twisted in my hair and down to the front of my shirt, holding me to her. Eventually we break apart and she starts running away at werewolf speed, chuckling to herself, "Catch me if you can, Lahey."

I laugh, watching her as she dances through the trees. So, she's not a werewolf, but she has the speed of one. We've spent every day this week trying to figure out what Grace is, and we've come up short. We've tested her for everything, especially werewolf, Kanima and Banshee related stuff. She's shown no sign of any. This brings a step closer to figuring out what she is. I hear an echo of laughter and then something on my back and Grace's voice in my ear, "You chicken or something?" She's gone again in an instant, "Oh, it's _so _on, Fitzgerald."


	48. Chapter 48

Isaac and I spent the rest of the afternoon running through Beacon Hills Reserve playing tag. We ended up having our awkward conversation we'd both been avoiding. He told me he understood why I broke up with him, and I told him about Peter threatening to kill him unless I helped him with Scott. Isaac told me about his "relationship" with Rebecca, and how he hates himself for it now. I told him about how I still loved him, and he said he still loved me. We're together, I think. It's always hard to tell with us because we're together even when we're not.

Right now though, we're driving back to the loft. Isaac's telling me about his older brother's obsession with music. "If it wasn't for Cam I wouldn't listen to Blink 182 or Sum 41 or Green Day. He was such a great guy, Grace. He always knew how to make me laugh when I was in a crap mood and he'd let me help work on his car. You would've liked him."

I was in the middle of telling Isaac about how if he was remotely like his brother I'm sure I would have loved Camden when the car stopped. I checked the gas meter. Shit. "I forgot to fill up the tank, Iz. I'm so sorry." I look at Isaac, who is staring at something down the street; he looks a million miles away and there is terror on his face.

"I, uh, I didn't realize where we were. I used to live on this street." Of course, Grace. Drive him down the street where the House of Horrors is for him. Good work. "Baby, I didn't know. I'm so sorry." He shakes his head, "He used to keep a thing full of gas in the house. No one's living in it. Technically its mine. I just…it's still the same as the day I left it."

I try to smile at him comfortingly, "Stay here. I'll go get it. I'll be back in a tick." I kiss him on the cheek and make my way to Isaac's childhood home. On the opposite side of the road was a McMansion. Lydia had told me it belonged to her ex; Jackson Whittemore. She curses him and herself for never reporting what they saw to the police. _"I cant believe I was so cruel. I mean, now I'm still like that. But it's Isaac, you know?"_

Inside the house has become derelict, more digusting than the overgrown lawns and shattered windows. You can tell there have been people living here, unknowing to the events that occurred in these very walls. Or maybe they did. I heard some kids at school once daring each other to stay a night here; apparently you can still here Isaac's screams for help echoing through the house. People are shitty sometimes; real shitty.

_Please, please. I didn't mean it. I'll do better next time, dad. I swear._

_SHUT UP, SON. I'm just doing my responsibility as a parent._

Isaac? I run down to where I can hear the pleading, the sobs and the unmistakable noise of knuckles hitting skin; hard. Down a set of stairs and into a dark basement, I can't see them yet. But I can hear them. Isaac's told me about this place. It's where his father used to punish him.

_I'm doing this for your own good, Isaac. Maybe when you get out you'll stop being a fucking hopeless waste of space._

I see them. Isaac's struggling, desperate to avoid being put in the deep freezer. How did he get here? How is his dad here? I swear he was dead. He's got this cold, hard look in his eyes and a little smirk is tugging at the corners of his mouth. He doesn't care that what he is doing is hurting Isaac. He enjoys the pain he brings to his son, making him feel just as bad as he does.

I scream, and then I hear car doors slamming. Isaac and his father disappear and there is only me in the dark basement. I can hear Isaac's feet hitting the pavement, "I'm okay. IZ, I'm okay." I know he can hear me because he stops. My phone buzzes in my pocket, I hit the answer button, "I heard you scream."

"Giant rat."

There is a scoff at the end of the line, "Putting her life on the line she's okay with. Giant rats though? Forget it."

I roll my eyes, forgetting he can't see it, "Where did you say he kept it?"

"I, uh, didn't. It's in the basement."

Sure enough, I look around and see the bottle. I quickly grab it and run upstairs. Isaac is standing outside, hands shoved in his pockets and his head down. I tackle him in a hug, "You're safe, baby. The giant rat can't get you now."

"I hate him."

"He wasn't always bad, y'know? He used to take me and Cam to the park and the zoo and for ice cream all the time. I want to fix this place up. I'm not sure if I'd sell it yet. Scott and Stiles offered to help me repaint and get rid of any…stuff that was unnecessary."

We walk back to the car, hand in hand, "Imagine living in a house together? We could watch movies all the time and I could make you breakfast. You could come home and bitch about a terrible day at work and then I could help you forget all the shitty people. Doesn't that sound great?" Isaac keeps talking but I can't stop thinking about the events that occurred in the basement. Isaac was oblivious to what happened, meaning only I saw and heard it. Was it what he really used to deal with every day? A shiver passed through me. I'll talk to Morrell tomorrow about seeing what I saw. Maybe it was one of my abilities? Like the speed and the hearing?

_I couldn't just be a werewolf, could I?_


	49. Chapter 49

When we get into the loft, Isaac is giving me a piggy back. We're laughing about how only Stiles' chance to lose his virginity would be interrupted by a supernatural psychotic killer _twice, _and then suddenly we're face to face with everyone. Derek, Cora, Scott and his mom, Stiles and his dad, Allison and her dad, Lydia, the twins, Danny, Morrell and Deaton are all standing in various places in the living room.

"Ah, hey. Did we miss something?"

"No! We were waiting for you," Stiles is buzzing with energy. He crosses the living room floor as I jump off Isaac and grabs my hand. "We know how shit you feel today, G. We've all lost people, and we're here to show you that."

He sits me on the couch and I realize what they're doing. "Stiles, you don't have to."

He waves his hand in a way that says nonsense, "It's good for me to talk about her. Keeps her alive." Stiles throws a quick glance at his dad, who had a glass of bourbon in his hands. It sucks that the Sheriff has to numb himself in order to remember his wife. He must have loved her so much. Melissa puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he smiles meekly back at her.

"My mom was the most amazing woman ever. She got sick just after I was born…cancer. From what I know she was the healthiest woman ever before that; never had a sick day in her life. She used to joke that her being sick now was making up for it.

She was in remission 3 times in eight years, but it just kept coming back. It sucked. I had ADHD and was running around like a complete idiot and most days my mom couldn't even get out of bed. I felt like I had taken all her energy away from her, like a leech or something."

The Sheriff interrupts his son, "Stiles, I don't want to ever hear you say that again. Claudia used to feed off of your energy. You made her better."

Stiles links his arm in his dad's, "Come on Pops, slow down a sec. Tell them about mom."

"Claudia was so beautiful, even in those last days. She had this sense of humour…it's what made me fall in love with her. On bad days…on bad days she couldn't move. She would be in so much pain, crying all the time. On good days though, it was like the cancer didn't exist. We would take Stiles to the zoo or I'd come home and the two of them would be baking; at least 6 different cakes and tarts already made."

He looks at Stiles, his eyes wet, "I miss her, kid."

"Me too, Pops."

We all try to take our eyes off of Stiles and John Stilinski but it's almost impossible. The two of them are like magnets and us the metal attracted to them. They're hugging and Melissa takes the opportunity to take the glass full of bourbon away from her friend. Everyone is silent, and so Allison decides to ask ever so quietly, "What did she look like?"

Stiles' eyes light up at the question, "Oh, man. She was beautiful, Allison. She had this long red hair and when the chemo made her lose it she got this wig that was an exact match. And she had these amazing green eyes and this smile that never really left her face. She had this pale skin and freckles everywhere."

As Stiles continues to talk I see a woman who matches his exact description appear, "You can see me?" Her voice is strong and delicate all at the same time. She reminds me of a flower; a rose. I nod slowly. _I'm going insane._

"You're not going insane, honey. Just tell my two boys I love them more than anything. I miss them too."

She hangs around Stiles and his dad; laughing at their anecdotes about her.

_Claudia Stilinski._

Allison and her dad were next. They avoided mentioning Kate, and for that I was thankful. They had some tact. "Mom, she was a little extreme sometimes. I mean, her last act was trying to kill Scott because we were hunters and he is a wolf and she thought he would hurt me. It was her way of showing she cared about me; that she loved me."

I had seen Victoria Argent in a picture once. I have no idea where. I think Allison had a picture of her taped inside her locker. She had this short red hair and this sort of menacing look about her. Like, "I baked you milk and cookies, have some" and then once you've eaten them she'll stab you to death type thing. She appeared, just like Claudia Stilinski. She stood behind them like a military woman. An Argent through and through.

Isaac spoke next, "My Mom was kind of crazy. I think she had bipolar or something. One moment she would be dancing around the kitchen with my dad, Cam and me and the next she would be crying about how hopeless life was. I loved her though. She taught me how to draw…after she died dad banned me from drawing but Cam would sneak me papers and hide my drawings places dad couldn't find them. My Mom though, she was Queen of Expressing yourself. Very new age. It was such a contrast to my dad, and sometimes I would wonder how the hell they stayed together. I think she was his ying to his yang, y'know? But then she died…Cam was the best brother; I don't care what anyone says. He was so great to me. He got me into music and he took me out when Dad was wasted and he was someone I could tell anything to. Yeah, he might have been a dick to others. He started acting out just before he enlisted. I think…I think Dad was doing to him what he did to me. I think that's why he shot himself. Dad used to be so great. He used to play lacrosse with me all the time and we'd just hang out. He wasn't so great in the end, but I still love him."

Cassie and Camden Lahey appeared behind Isaac, "We're so proud of you, baby" they kept saying. Isaac continues talking, this time about Erica and Boyd. "Man, you all thought Erica was the biggest bitch. She wasn't though. When I used to have nightmares she used to sit beside me and hold my hand until I fell asleep, talking about whatever came to mind. The bite gave her the confidence she needed, you know? Erica had always wanted to be amazing, and she was before the bite, but now she could be it without being afraid of her body letting her down. And Stiles, when you saved her after Jackson attacked at the library. She couldn't stop going on about it for days. She kept saying, "told you he's batman.""

Erica Reyes was probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, with blonde hair tied back and red lips. She was grinning so hard at Isaac and Derek as they both spoke about her. A tall boy appeared next to her, Boyd I am assuming. He was silent, something Isaac said he had always been, but he looked like a teddy bear with his arms wrapped around Erica's waist, placing a big kiss on her cheek.

Cora speaks about Boyd, "We were locked in that bank vault for 3 months together. The first thing he said to me was, "If only one of us gets a chance to run, you run like hell. Derek misses you." I don't know how he knew I was Derek's little sister. But he did. I think what Boyd said shows a lot about him. He became my best friend inside that vault, along with Erica. I will forever miss them."

Derek wraps an arm around Cora and they both begin to talk about their family, my other family. I couldn't listen. This? This was too close to home. I knew what they'd say. They'd say how great their parents were. How Tahlia was a leader who knew it was the people who made things work, not ideas and leaders. They'd talk about how Patrick Hale, yes he had taken Tahlia's name, was totally smitten with her and how he would turn into putty when she entered the room, his badass exterior floating away. They'd talk about Laura and how some days she could be a raging bitch but other days she could be the most amazing friend. They'd talk and talk but all I could see were the dead my friends were talking about; Claudia Stilinski, Cassie and Camden Lahey, Victoria Argent, Tahlia Hale, Patrick Hale, Laura Hale, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd.

_Let them through. You can do it. Let down the walls and they can be here, _a voice in my head whispered; my voice.

I close my eyes and try and focus on the metaphorical curtain between our world and there. I have to let them in, just for five minutes. C'mon Gracie you can do it just let them in.

"Mom?" It's Stiles.

Did I do it?

I open my eyes and sure enough everyone is surrounded by their loved ones; shock, happiness, excitement gripping them. I look over to Isaac who is hugging his brother and mother tightly, tears in his eyes. He then turns to Boyd and Erica; holding them and absolutely speechless. Cora, Derek, Tahlia, Laura and Patrick are all holding each other. Tahlia's chastising Derek for thinking everything is his fault and I can't help but let a giggle escape my lips. John Stilinski is kissing is wife passionately whilst Stiles just grins at them stupidly before he drags Cora over to introduce her. Victoria is telling Chris and Allison how proud she is of them and I look around for my own family.

Laura and Erica flank me before I realize they'd even moved from where they were. Erica just smirks at me, "I don't know you, but I like you. You make Isaac happy and that makes you a superhero in my books. Do not hurt him or I will haunt you." I nod and once she's satisfied she runs off and jumps on Derek's back, "Ha. Who's faster now, biyatch?"

Laura laughs, "Thanks, Gracie. We know we can't stay forever but with your help we can visit occasionally."

"What am I?"

"You've known what you were since you left that house today."

I nodded, she was right. "I miss you, Lor."

"Miss you too kid."

"I can't hold it much longer." I was starting to feel light headed. I feel liquid oozing out of my nose, I reach my hand to it; blood.

"Everyone! Say your goodbyes."

They do, and Isaac looks over at me. His face turns from happiness to shock. Everyone's faces start to fade as the blackness consumes me. I'm falling to the floor, hitting it with a crash. _Not again._

* * *

**Writing this chapter was really bizarre for me because of Claudia Stilinski...we share the same first name, and so that got me thinking about dying and things like that. I hope this chapter works**


	50. Chapter 50

Melissa and Derek are the first ones to Grace, "Scott, baby, my first aid kits in the car," but Scott can't move because he's having trouble breathing. His asthma is back and worse than ever. Stiles frowns and bolts to Melissa's car and comes back with both the first aid kit and a spare inhaler he keeps in his back pack for Scott.

"…thanks…man."

Stiles nods. He always keeps a spare inhaler for his best friend, even with his werewolf ability to never get sick. He couldn't lose another person in his life, not since his mom. It was why he was always worried about his dad, and why he was so pissed at Scott when he saved Allison and not his dad. It was why he was constantly panicking about Cora running her mouth and getting into some kind of fight. It was why he had been so eager to join the werewolf gang as researcher; knowledge is power. Today though, he couldn't deal with his best friend's breathing issues. He had just seen his mom and he was panicking about the effect that would have on his poor dad. They had been high school sweethearts, his mom and dad. His mom fell pregnant the summer before they went to college and they made a nice life for themselves in Beacon Hills.

It's strange but Stiles keeps thinking that any minute now he's going to wake up and his best friend will be human, Derek Hale will be just another name in one of his Dad's case files and he'll still be crushing on Lydia Martin and Jackson Whittemore will be his biggest problem at school and Isaac Lahey will just be the quiet kid on his lacrosse team.

Grace had stopped shaking, but Melissa insisted on calling an ambulance. Isaac was pacing the room and Stiles went up to calm him down, "She's going to be okay, man. It is terrifying what that girl can handle." Isaac just nods, pulling at his hair. He sucks in a breath and exhales, "She can't keep going like this, Stiles."

Stiles just puts a hand on his friend's shoulder. They can hear the wails of the ambulance in the distance.

"Just a few more minutes."

* * *

**It's a short chapter, I know! Please don't hate me! I am in the middle of an exam period but in two days time I will have a massive break and I swear chapters will resume to their normal standard. I feel like a trend is beginning to form; massive moment and then a few short chapters hahaha. BUT, holy crap, we're up to chapter 50 guys! Thankyou so much for all of you that have been here since the beginning and all of you who have joined along the way. Your reviews seriously make my day and I promise to keep posting. In a weeks time I will be free from exams and high school and I promise most of my day will be dedicated to the story of Grace and Isaac.**

**LOVE YOU ALL XX**


	51. Chapter 51

"We need to get you a frequent visitor card, Grace. Twice in a week. And you were only released 3 days ago!"

I look up at my doctor and smiled at his bad joke. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

I remember the actual events, but those sound made up and I could not take a chance at being stuck in the looney bin. Although maybe I deserve to be? I mean, I see dead people and events from the past.

"You were at home and you were with Mr. Lahey and all of a sudden...while you two were..."

Our cover was Isaac and I were going at it and I had one of my breathing episodes and he couldn't get me to calm down and then my heart literally stopped. Great cover story, assholes. I had money on that being Stiles' idea.

"Oh. I remember now. Is Isaac here? Are any of my friends?"

"There's a lot of people for you in the hall. Would you like me to send Isaac in first?"

I smile sweetly and nod, and soon Isaac's in the door frame, furiously rubbing at the back of his neck. "Hey, babe."

"So apparently I was about to lose my v card to you tonight. Must've been really good if I went into cardiac arrest."

He blushes, "it was-"

"It's fine. But can you handle the reputation you're going to get? All those girls knocking on your door. I mean, Rebecca might call you up and everything."

I regret saying the Rebecca part almost as soon as her name is out of my mouth, "I'm-

"I only want you."

I pat the spot in my bed beside me, signally for him to get in. He pulls me to his chest, "You scared me today."

"I'm sorry," I mumble. "I thought you'd be happy. You were talking about Cam so much and-"

"You did that?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, Lor said it was me. And Erica? She said something that made me think it was me too. Man, she is so pretty, Iz. Like absolutely freaking gorgeous. I can totally see what Mags was saying about the-"

"_Grace."_

Isaac's voice stops my babbling. He weaves his fingers in mine and squeezes tightly, "Take a break, yeah? You just had a freaking heart attack. No more supernatural talk or anything, okay? Just you and me together."

"Is Derek losing it?"

He laughed, "Completely. The nurses had to kick him out because he kept threatening them all if they didn't have any information on you. It was classic. He forgets that not everyone is totally scared of him. Melissa totally had him shitting himself."

We lay in silence for a while after that, the sounds of our breathing the only noise heard in the room. I felt safe, cuddled into Isaac in that hospital bed. He made me feel safe.

"Hey Grace, will you go on a date with me?"

"We're already dating, ya muppet."

Isaac turned to me, "We haven't been out on a first real date though. So, Grace Fitzgerald, when you're all healed up and not in the hospital, will you please go on a date with me?"

I can hear Cora from outside the room, "JUST SAY YES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD."

"Yes, Isaac. Of course."

He grinned and pecked me on the cheek, "I have a shift with Deaton and you're only allowed one visitor at a time and Cora keeps muttering death threats under her breath. I'll be by later though."

"I'll be out by tomorrow, I'll see you then. Please for the love of god come up with another cover story?"

He chuckles and doesn't answer me. He totally likes the fact that it's the cover story. Smug bastard. He leaves and Cora flies into the room, wrapping her arms around me, "Jesus, Cor. Need to breathe."

"I am never letting you out of my sight again! Every time I turn my back for a second you get hurt or something that only ever would happen in our fucked up lives like my fucking uncle…what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Love me," I suggest, trying to make a joke out of the situation. She frowns and gets into the bed beside me, "I sent everyone else home. Derek will sneak in a bit later but before he does, I wanted to ask you something…"

She's not looking at me, "What is it? You can ask me anything."

"What you said to Isaac? About that being you?"

She's asking if it is true, I know she is; on the surface. What she is really asking is if I can do it again, if I can bring her family back completely. "It was me, but I don't know if I can replicate it."

She nods in understanding, "Get some sleep, kid. It's been a long day.

* * *

**Somehow managed to get this up! x**


	52. Chapter 52

I get released from hospital two days later on the grounds that I've made a remarkable recovery and the promise I will do heart friendly things from now on, including taking my medication. Derek picks me up while the others are at school, giving me time to adjust to everything. My medication makes me ridiculously sleepy and my new diet is something only Stiles Stilinski would approve of for his father-which reminds me I have to go see the two men at some point.

"Derek, why do I have to eat this crap? It's not like I actually had a heart attack, it was brought on by my...whatever."

"Shut up and eat your salad."

"Dereeeeeek."

"Eat. Or don't eat. I don't care, Grace."

I quickly begin eating, knowing I've pissed Derek off. We're not as close as we were before our two year separation, there is a wall between us now, one neither of us know how to tear down. I look at the man and sigh, "I'm going to shower."

I systematically wash and condition my hair, a task made 100 times quicker due to my new hair style. I go through the rest of the typical shower motions before turning off the water and getting out. I slip on my underwear and go to throw on a black tee but before I do I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My body is disgusting, absolutely covered in scars from surgeries or childhood injuries sustained while trying to keep up with my werewolf brothers. There are bruises from training sessions and my fight with Peter. They're mostly healed but there is a nasty one covering most of my hip that is still a deep purple. The scar on my neck won't be healing anytime soon, and most likely never will, like the scars across my chest from the emergency surgery I had to have thanks to my heart attack. The burns on my arm from my bitch of a mother. Jesus, I'm ugly. How could anybody love me?. My outsides match my insides; bruised, broken and most likely never repairable. God, I hate this. I hate feeling so damn weak and hopeless and fuck. I grab the closest thing in my reach and throw it across the room. That's when I realise what it was; it's the picture frame containing the last annual Hale-Fitzgerald photo with all of us present. The glass has shattered and the picture frame broken, but the the picture is safe. I try and save the picture, but not before cutting myself on a shard of glass.

"Shit, shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Grace?" Derek's opening the door, "I just got so mad and I threw the picture. I didn't mean to Derek, you gotta believe me. I didn't even realise until it was done."

He sees the blood on my hand and quickly removes any glass fragments that remained before pulling me over to the bed, "Shh, shhh. It's okay, they know. I know. You're going through a tough time at the moment. You just moved back and Peter and now whatever this is. They get it. I get it."

He pulls me closer to his chest and I begin sobbing into his shoulder, "I miss them so much. That's not even why I was angry. I-I was upset because I look like Frankenstein's monster reincarnated. How friggen stupid is that? They're dead and I'm worrying about my stupid body!"

"HEY. Hey, remember what Laura used to say? She used to said miss them, that's okay. You can cry every few days and hate the world but never ever stop living. Do not stop living because they are dead and we're not, because that's an insult to them. Remember how she always used to say that?"

I nod.

"Good. Don't ever let me catch you doing that again. Now why are you Frankenstein's monster reincarnated?"

My mouth falls open, dumbfounded. I stand up, gesturing to the scars, bruises and burns. "Are you serious, Der? Looks at me! I am totally disgusting. Look at those burns, the scars, the bruises! How could he ever be okay with being with someone like me when he can get girls like Rebecca?"

"I don't think you're giving him enough credit, Grace. One, you're beautiful. Two, Isaac is head over heels for you which irks me because while I love the kid, it's my duty to hate him. Three, if he does say anything, that's not the type of guy you want to be with, okay? You stay far away from those types of guys. I don't think Isaac is one of them though."

I tackle him in a hug because this was the Derek Hale I remember, a little less angry, but still my Derek. And that's when I remember I am only in a bra and underwear and begin to laugh hysterically, and then Derek joins in too once he realises why, before awkwardly getting up and exiting the room.

"Hey Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"This reminds me of before."

"Me too."

"We should do this again sometime, when I'm fully clothed."

A hearty laugh escapes him as he continues down the corridor to his own room.

Oh Derek, ya big softie.


	53. Chapter 53

I quickly get dressed and am on my way to Dr. Deaton's Veterinary Clinic before Derek stops me, "Isaac called and asked if he could come over. I told him yes."

"I'll be back before he gets here, I gotta go see Scott. If I'm not, tell him I've gone for a walk and ill be back soon."

"Right, gotta talk things by the Alpha before you tell the pack. This about your abilities?"

I nod, "look I wish I could tell you but you're not Alpha, Scott is. You know how it is with us born wolves."

He rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything to contradict my statement. He knows while I may not be a born werewolf, I do live by their ways and have since I was a kid.

"Will you cover for me?"

He sighs, "yeah okay, but I am seriously not in the mood for teenage drama tonight."

I grin, give him and quick hug and am out the door and am waiting inside Deaton's waiting room within 15 minutes.

"Grace, how can I help you?"

"I was hoping to speak with Scott, is he working this afternoon?" Deaton nods, and leads me through the back offices, "Marin told me what happened to you. How are you holding up?"

It's bizarre, because I've never spoken to the man before. I know he's Morrell's brother and Scott's emissary, but earning my trust is something you'll have to do the full 9 yards for.

"Fine thanks." Thankfully Scott walks in, "Grace!" He hugs me ridiculously tight and beams at me, "I thought you were meeting Isaac?"

I nod, "I am, but I needed to talk to you about something first...is there anywhere?"

He takes my wrist and drags me through the corridors of the clinic, "You can help me give them a snack." I help Scott feed the animals, "So what's up?"

"Can your emissary hear us?"

He rolls his eyes, "Deaton's a good guy. I don't know what's with you and Stiles not trusting him."

"Stiles said Matt was the bad guy from the beginning," I point out.

"Deaton's been my boss for three years. I know him. I trust him. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then, what's up?"

"I know what I am."

He grins, "That is brilliant! What are you?"

"Something called a Seer. I can see the past and future, as well as the dead. But since we're such a rare...species, I guess, we've evolved and become almost chameleon like. That's why I have the speed and hearing of a wolf, because I'm constantly near them. I have a feeling I may have a few emissary and banshee skills up my sleeve too."

Scott whistles, "So you're basically a bad ass."

My face twists into an expression of mock shock, "You saying I wasn't bad ass before?"

He laughs, "You've always been bad ass, Grace. So...how come you came here to tell me?"

Ah, this was the bit I was dreading, "Two reasons, one is that you're my Alpha. It's how born wolves work. And two, we're bonded."

His mouth drops, "Like, we're meant to?"

I quickly shake my head, "no, no. Not like that at all. Bonded like we share a connection."

He lets this sink in for a moment and to my surprise he nods, "Okay, so like what? We're like tied together with an invisible string type thing?"

"Yeah, that's a really good way to explain it. Like, sometimes when either of us gets physically hurt or are extremely emotional, the other will feel it."

"Like how I had my asthma attack when you had your heart attack? Wait, did you get really upset and angry today?"

"You what? And yes, why?"

"Derek didnt tell you? And I may or may not have thrown a crosse at Greenberg."

"He mightn't have seen the relation. But you're asthmatic? Goodbye cigarettes. And poor Greenberg. That kid cops enough from Coach, he doesn't need it from you too."

"You'd give up smoking for me?"

"I can't very well kill you slowly after I saved your wolfy behind only a week ago."

He grins at this, "I never thanked you for that."

"You being alive is thanks enough. Plus, you saved my life right after."

Scott freezes as he puts a bowl of kibble into one of the cages, "Shit. Did I do this to you? Are you like this because of the bite?"

"Research says Seers have this kind of dormant gene and when bitten by a werewolf it awakens. It can't be any werewolf though, it has to be a True Alpha. Whenever there is a True Alpha in history, there is a Seer beside them. Kinda like a right hand man," I pause, "But I have no intention of taking Stiles' place as your right hand man. He is your bro and I get that it's just what the research says."

"Trust me, that was the furthest thing from my mind. So, it's a dormant gene?"

"Yeah, probably from my birth father."

"We should probably look into that."

I shrug, "So, I was thinking we should maybe keep the connection part a secret from the others? I mean, tell Alli and I'll tell Isaac because well, I totally knew you two were together the day I got out of the hospital the first time."

Scott goes bright red, "Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan. I'll call a meeting for tomorrow. Let you get back into it today."

I smile appreciatively and hug the sweet alpha pup I'm bonded too, "You know it's insane how much you know already."

"I was stuck in hospital for two days. I literally had nothing to do except read my bestiary and the one Mr. Argent lent me."

"Woah, Chris gave you the bestiary?"

"I think we have a mutual understanding of each other. It's weird."

"I'll say."

We sit for a moment in silence, the sounds of dogs eating in the air, "Is everyone okay? After what happened? Is Stiles and his dad okay?"

Scott frowns, "Stiles has been avoiding us since that night. His Dad...he didn't take it so well."

Fuck, that explains Cora's shit mood the last two days. I'd have to go sort that out. My phone buzzes in my pocket, it's Isaac.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey, Derek said you went for a walk? Want me to come pick you up?"

"Being in hospital for a few days has made me stir crazy, I ended up going farther than I thought I was. Ill be home soon though, if you don't mind sticking around."

"I'll just hang out with Derek, we haven't done it in a while."

"love you."

"You too."

Scott looks up at me expectantly, "I have to go sort out stuff with Stiles. It's me he's pissed at. Ill fix it Scott. I swear, I'll fix it. He's your best friend, he can't be mad at you."

I leave the vet's office drive to the Stilinksi house. Stiles can't be mad at Cora, he's too in love with her. And he can't be made at Scott, they've been friends forever. I wonder how they met? It's a story they've never told. It's that moment a squad car pulls up beside me at the lights, Sheriff Stilinski and Agent McCall riding in it. They're both in Sheriff uniforms, "So," Agent McCall asks, "you have any family?"

The Sheriff nods proudly, "A beautiful wife and a son who is about 3."

"My Scott is that age. You and the wife should come over for dinner some time, bring your son along. Melissa and Scott would love that."

Oh god, I'm living another past moment. I close my eyes and count to 11 three times before counting to 10 and opening my eyes. The scene before me has disappeared, and I continue the drive to Stiles' house.

When I get there I knock on the door, "Hey! Stiles get your ass out here now! I know your home! Your jeep is parked out front." I can hear Stiles's steps slamming through the house before he swings the door open, "What the hell do you want, Grace?"

"I wanted to see if you and your Dad were okay. Scott said you've been avoiding them."

He looks at me, opens his mouth slightly to speak and then bursts into tears. I take him in my arms, "Oh Stiles, baby. No please don't cry."

He is sobbing into my shoulder, "It was so good seeing her and then she was gone and we're left to pick up the pieces and you did this and I kinda hate you and love you for doing it."

I slowly tug him inside, "Tell me what's been going on?"

"After your heart attack, I took Dad home. He was pretty drunk, and who could blame him. He loved my mom so damn much. She was his world. And he's just been devastated since he saw her because she's not around anymore."

"Stiles, I'm-"

"Yeah I know, you're sorry. Whatever."

It's at that moment John Stilinkski descends down the stairs and sees us both, "Hey Grace! Anything I can do for you?"

"I just came to see how you were doing, sir."

He chuckles, "Sir? Like I'm some kind of authority figure. I'm doing okay. It was just a shock to see Claudia. It reminded me of how amazing she was, and how she wouldn't want Stiles and I to be moping around about her. So, son you apologize for how you spoke to Grace just then and then get your ass out of here and apologize to your friends."

Stiles' mouth falls open, but it curves into a grin, "Yes, Pops."

John Stilinski leaves for work and so it's just Stiles' and I, "Is he really okay?"

The boy nods, "Yeah. He is. Now I'm sure there is a giant curly haired werewolf worried about where you are right now."

I hug him, "I really am sorry, Stiles."

He nods, "I know, and I should be actually thanking you. I was scared I was making things up about her in my head. Turns out my memory is 100% correct."

We say our goodbyes and then I'm on my way home to see Isaac. I am praying he takes the whole bond thing well.

* * *

**So, ever since we found out about Scott's dad I have had this headcannon where the Sheriff and him were on the job together before Agent McCall decided he wanted to be an FBI agent and that's how Scott and Stiles met! I really wanted to work it in somehow so yeah :)**


	54. Chapter 54

"Honey, I'm home," I call as I walk into the loft. Derek runs out while Isaac walks into the room with his arms crossed.

"Coward!"

"You smell like Derek, Scott and Stiles," he whispers. Isaac's hurt for the obvious reasons; and that's that because of what his father did to him, he never felt good enough. Our relationship was still relatively new and fragile despite all we've been through. His hurt was totally understandable. He picks up his jacket and goes to leave. He's pissed; jealously and anger coming off of him in waves.

"Are you going to let me explain or are you going to walk out and feel sorry for yourself?"

He pauses, turns around and looks at me, his lips curled into a snarl, "You're seriously going to call me out like that? That's bullshit, Grace. I am sitting around waiting for you while you go and see three different guys; their scent is all over you."

"Fuck you. Let me explain it."

He sticks out his had; indicating I have the floor. It's almost like a dare, but he lets me speak. "I had to see Scott because I had to tell him what I am. It's a thing with born wolves. And don't you dare say I'm not a werewolf. I was brought up in those ways, ill live and die by them. Anyway, after I spoke to Scott, I went and saw Stiles. You should have told me how he was acting." My voice is sort of shrill and I know I won't be able to speak later on.

"You're right. I should have. But you had a fucking heart attack and I thought it'd be great for you to take 5 fucking minutes to not worry about everybody else's lives and get better."

I don't know why I do it, but I scream. I scream until all the anger is gone and Isaac looks freaked out. His phone rings when I'm done and he answers it, "Not a good time, Scott. Ah, maybe? Ah sure?"

He hangs up and looks at me, "Scott told me to tell you to take a chill pill because you're making the animals hate him."

I laugh, "Wanna hear something wild?' I retell Isaac my conversation with Scott; telling him about me being a Seer and my powers and the connection between Scott and I. At first he reacts the same way Scott did, but slowly he comes around to the idea.

"So, without the connection what would happen?"

"The connection keeps me alive."

"You'd die."

I nod and he sucks in a breath, "Well, thank the lord for that damn connection then."

We're laying on my bed, Isaac's arm around my waist and my head resting on his chest. Our fingers are intertwined and I can honestly say that the rise and fall of Isaac's chest as he breathes is my favourite thing in the world because it means he is alive.

I turn to look at him, "I love you, baby."

He pecks my lips, "I love you too. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth straight away." He shushes me and we go back to laying there. Music is playing in the background, as usual. Today the song of choice is Coldplay's Yellow.

_Look at the stars, look how they shine for you._

"Do you miss it?"

I nod, "Singing was one of my favourite things to do in the world. After the fire I wouldn't sing. It took me 2 years to bring myself to sing again. We use to put on these really dorky performances on the porch. God, I think I have one of all of us singing the Spice Girls."

I quickly get up and rummage around for the tape and put it in the DVR. Sure enough, there is Laura, Cora, Damien, Alex and I dressed up as a Spice Girl. We're singing "Stop" and even doing those dorky ass dance moves and then Blake and Derek run in and start yelling the rap in "Wannabe." God, we were such losers.

Isaac is killing himself laughing, "Oh man, you _have _to let me show Scott and Stiles this. They would never let Derek live it down. Look at him! He's wearing a dress!"

"It was all or nothing with us," I say, as Isaac wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back towards him.

"You were a brilliant Spice Girl," he murmurs into my skin. "I wish I knew you then. I imagine you to be this totally fearless kid who did whatever she wanted even if people thought it was insane."

I smile at his comment because he was right. I was a totally insane kid. "Maybe one day that girl will come back."

"Nah, I like the girl I have here."

I roll my eyes at his cheesiness, "That reminds me, when is that first date?"

"Uh, tomorrow if you're up for it?"

"Yeah, sounds perfect."

"Well," he says, getting up from the bed, "I better go and sort out the minor details of this date. I will see you tomorrow at five." And just like how Isaac Lahey waltzed into my life, he waltzed out.

* * *

"Scott, man, I need your help," I call out as soon as he gets home from his shift with Deaton. I can hear him drag his feet up the stairs as he trudges into my room and collapses face first on my bed.

"Long day?"

"Emotional rollercoaster," is the reply I get, and I know he's talking about Grace and his bond to her, "Yeah man, I am so sorry about that. We're going to try and not be the insane couple anymore."

Scott throws me a thumbs up and rolls over, "Why did you need my help?"

"I am taking Grace out tomorrow and I need something special planned but my mind goes blank."

Scott gets out his phone and dials a few numbers, "Stiles, Lydia, Allison, Cora? You there?"

There is a chorus of "hey" and "here" before Scott starts to speak again, "So Isaac and Grace are going on that date tomorrow."

"_Finally," _Lydia says.

"Suggestions?"

Stiles is really animated about where to go, probably from years of planning on how to woo Lydia Martin. "Man, mini golf. If she hasn't played before you can do the whole "here let me show you so I can get close to you" thing. But if she has played, you can make it into a competition. That could be hot."

Cora chuckles, "Oh, baby, how come you're putting so much thought into their first date? We didn't do anything fun like that."

"I wanted to make sure there was limited room for me to make a fool of myself."

"That is so-" and then their line is cut off, leaving Allison, Lydia, Scott and I on the phone.

"Grace was talking about a festival she wanted to go to when I went by earlier. A Laneway festival I think she said?"

"Lydia Martin, I could kiss you right now." There is a growl in the background, "Not literally, Aiden."

"I'll drop by an outfit for her tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I won't spill the beans. Goodnight boys."

Everyone hangs up and I set to work cleaning the car. Everything had to be perfect for when I took Grace out.

* * *

"Lydia Martin, I am not wearing a dress. Over my dead body."

She rolls her eyes, "Oh, stop being so dramatic. I don't have a valid reason for you not to be wearing a dress. And, whatever the reason is you need to start having positive associations with them anyway. What are you going to do when you and Lahey are walking down the aisle, huh?"

Isaac and I walking down the aisle...that's a nice thought.

"And you're not even listening to me anymore because you're picturing you and Isaac walking down the aisle."

I smile up at her sheepishly and she just grins in response, "Wear it. No excuses. You can wear whatever shoes you want with it, but I knew you'd rather it to go with your converse."

I hug her tight, "Thanks, Lyd."

"What are best friends for?"


	55. Chapter 55

Isaac picks me up at 5pm sharp with a bouquet of flowers that I am almost 100% Ms. McCall helped him pick out. He shakes Derek's hand like a proper gentleman and sits through Derek's big brother speech, where he points out the fact he could rip Isaac's throat out with his teeth and has connection to law enforcement, as well as a werewolf hunters. Cora sits in the corner on the verge of wetting herself from laughing so much.

"Derek, can we please go now?"

From her spot Cora shouts out, "He hasn't asked Isaac's intentions!"

Cora Hale, sometimes I could slap you.

Derek raises an eyebrow, "Well?"

"My intentions with Grace is to take her out on a lovely date. I care about her a lot, Derek, and I want to show her that."

Derek smirks, "Nice answer, kid. Now go. Home by 11."

Isaac extends a hooked arm to me, and I link my hand in it, "You really did not have to go to all this trouble, Iz."

He rolls his eyes, "Of course I did. It's our first date, and I really really really want it to be a good one because you deserve to be treated like a princess, and I have been a really crap boyfriend. I have to redeem myself. You look beautiful, by the way."

Lydia's outfit was a summer flowly and floral dress that fell to a total hand length above the knee. She said something about morals and which had made me laugh ridiculously hard. The dress had spaghetti straps so I wore a white cardigan over the top to hide my burns. My hair had grown out a bit so I was able to straighten it and style it slightly, pairing it with relative natural make up. I wore my red converse. I couldn't live without them. Isaac wore a nice light blue button down paired with a pair of black skinny jeans. I swear, every moment was like a GQ fashion catalogue with that kid.

"Iz." He looks at me and grins, and I swear to god my heart skips a beat. A grin from Isaac Lahey could literally pull me from the brink. He opens his car door for me, and I notice the car has had a wash. No longer is there dirt on the windows or McDonalds bags on the bag seat. It reminded me of when Blake was getting ready to go out on a date with some girl. Mom asked if he was going to clean his car and he said, "I don't like her that much. You only clean your car if you really like the girl."

"Originally, I was going to take you to the diner, because that's kind of our spot, y'know? But then I thought well, we're going above and beyond today. Grand gestures and declarations so I thought maybe we could do something fun and you different. I swear, it's really cool there is-"

"Isaac, whatever you picked will be perfect."

He smiles at me sheepishly and nods, "Right, I just. I want tonight to he absolutely perfect."

"I'm here with you. It's already perfect."

We drive for a little while longer, Blink 182's First Date playing ironically in the background. One of my favourite things about Isaac is that he is totally happy to constantly have music playing in the background to fill the silence. Music means something to him as well, because of Camden, I think. Even still, it's not something everyone can put up with. After three days of living with Cora she sort of spazzed out about it, saying it was unnecessary to have music playing even at 3am. Derek invested in an iPod for me the next day as a compromise to the situation, so now only I can hear the music.

We pull up outside a mini golf place and I may have squealed in excitement, "Mini golf?! Yes!"

He grinned, "You ever played?"

I had, but I totally knew the game he was playing, "Nope. Never, but I've always wanted to play."

"Well, lets go then!"

We get out and we pick up our clubs and balls, "It's so colourful, Isaac! Look at the windmill and the crocodile!" I'm like a kid in a candy store, but Isaac just grins at me and follows me as I run to the first hole.

When we get there, I play dumb. "So, which way do you hold the stick thing?"

"You want me to show you?"

I nod, trying to keep my heart beat calm as Isaac comes up behind me. He turns the club the right way and puts his hands over mine, his head is hovering above my shoulder and his voice is low and husky when he speaks, "It's all about angles and speed, babe." Isaac was a Maths/science nerd while I was more a humanities/arts kid. It made for interesting conversations because we both learn a lot from each other. I turn to face him, so our faces are almost touching. I bat my eyelashes (Lydia Martin has taken me under her wing in the ways-to-seduce department. And thank god she has), "Like this?" And I hit the ball and sink it in the first go.

"You just wanted me to be near you," Isaac accuses me.

I grin, totally unashamed of my actions, "Maybe. Or maybe you're just a good teacher."

"Jesus, the things you do to me, Grace Fitzgerald."

I smirk at him, "Well now we established I don't suck at this, maybe we could make this into a game."

"Mini gold is a game."

"Smart ass, you wanna hear me out?"

He nods.

"Awesome, well since we're playing by first date rules I thought maybe whoever wins the hole gets to ask the other a question of their choice. The other has to answer. Sound fair?"

"Sounds good. You're going down, Fitzgerald."

I won the first hole, I think Isaac was trying to be gentlemanly and when I called him out on it he blushed ridiculously.

I asked him where he saw himself in five years time ("If we make it out alive I'd like to either study culinary science or nursing. So, hopefully doing one of those things. Derek was talking about building a home where we could all live. I'd like that. And you. I'd really like for you to be there.")

Isaac wins the next three holes and asks where I was those two years I was without Derek ("First month or so I stayed in school and under the radar but then I dropped out and did online schooling. I moved from pack to pack. I lived in Washington, New York, Oregon, Alaska, Chicago and Philadelphia. I even ran into Kate Argent the first few months. She didn't recognize me"), what my favourite class at school was ("A tie between English, History and Legal Studies") and if I was a dog or cat person ("Isn't it kind of obvious?")

I win two and ask Isaac what his favorite memory is ("Sunday mornings when my mum was alive. We used to watch cartoons and Dad would make this amazing breakfasts and Mom would put on some old song and we'd all dance and she'd call us her boys") and if he was happy living with the McCalls ("Scott's dad is a dick but Melissa and Scott are great. They treat me like family. I think I sorta love them.")

It goes on like this until we're even and there is one hole left.

"I have a proposition for you," Isaac says, "Whoever loses this one has to be subject to whatever the other one wants. Deal?"

I had to win this, "Deal."

The hole is this maze of twists and turns involving a bridge that goes up and down with a little river floating underneath. Oh man, this was so not going to go my way.

Isaac sinks the ball in 4 hits and when the ball goes in the hole he just turns and smirks at me. Challenge accepted, buddy. I hit the ball so it reaches the bottom of the raising bridge. "One," Iz calls out. I hit the ball over the bridge so it lands a 3 feet from the hole. "Two. Don't mess up now." I flip him the bird and he feigns shock, despite him totally being used to me being the most unladylike female to walk the planet. I tap the ball and it's so close to not going in. But it does, and I win and Isaac hangs his head in shame before getting down on one knee and yelling, "I am the loser. What is my punishment?"

I ponder this for a few moments, "I would like a kiss." Isaac raises an eyebrow, "Just a kiss?" I nod, "yep, right here." I point to my cheek and he grins, "Your wish is my command, m'lady." He pecks me on the cheek, "Oh, and I prefer the title "Queen of Mini Golf." He rolls his eyes, "drunk on power already, huh?"

* * *

I shake my head, "Nope, just drunk on you."

"Where are we headed now? I can hear music..." She trails off as she takes in where we are. Her face lights up in excitement when she realises, and I am so glad she can not hear my heart race because its seriously one of my favorite things in the world. She grabs my hand and begins to run, dragging me along behind her. When she stops, we're hit with an overwhelming amount of sounds, smells and sights. The Lane Way Festival is a food and music festival held in different lane ways in Beacon Hills. Grace looks at me; worries. "Are you okay? I know it can be overwhelming."

"I just need a minute." She nods, and slips her hand in mine as she leads me to a seating area with a bar selling drinks in containers with straws. The tables have records on them and there are paper lanterns hanging everywhere. There is two food trucks selling Italian food and crepes beside it, while a band plays on top of them.

"Sit, I'll be right back."

I see her go to the bar and order drinks. She's flirting with the bar tender, laying it on thick so she can get what she wants. It must work because she comes back a moment later with three drinks. "Two cocktails for you; and a Mountain Dew for me."

"I have to drive," I protest but she shakes her head.

"I'll drive. The drinks will help dim the connection. You feeling like crap won't be fun for either of us."

I comply and when I'm done, I feel slightly buzzed. A really upbeat Latin dance song comes on and she looks at me with these eyes that say I-want-to-dance-please-ask.

"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, Miss Bennet?"

"Why, Mr. Darcy, it took you long enough."

She takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. The pound of the bass in the music fills our chests and we're both grinning like fools. Our bodies move to the music and this isn't like how it was with Erica and Jackson at the rave. There was a kind of tenderness to it that didn't exist then. There was a me that didn't exist then.

Back then I was a scared boy who was drunk on power because I had been given an escape. I was rude and arrogant and a total dick. I had anger issues and I just wanted to be free of the pain. Now though, after Derek and Scott and Melissa and Grace, I've become the person I was always supposed to be. Sure, I still put up that front, the one that stops people getting close to me. That's because I already have all the people I need in my life, and because when people mess with them it's like a direct threat or insult to me. I'd defend my pack to the death, whereas before it was just a power thing. The song comes to an end, and I dip Grace and bring her back to my chest.

"God, I love you."

She traces the words into my back, as if the wind would pick them up and float the words away if she dared speak them. I know though. She's proven time and time again she loves me, and only me.

"Is that Danny," she murmurs. I look up to see where she is pointing, and sure enough Danny Mahealani is setting up his guitar and amp as the other band packs up.

"We should say hi."

I groan, but comply. I hated sharing Grace. It was a nasty habit I'd have to break.

"Hey, Danny boy!"

Danny stands and looks at us, "Hey Gracie Lacie, Isaac. What are you guys doing here?"

"Date," she grins and Danny grins back at her. It's some secret joke between them, I guess.

"Ah, so you wouldn't be open to singing a song until Trish gets here? She's late, as usual."

"Of course I'd be open to singing a song! Do you mind, Iz?"

"Your voice-"

"Is fine."

I bite my lip and nod my head. All I could do was be here for the crash and burn. They fiddle around for 5 more minutes before Grace begins to speak into the microphone.

"This song goes out to all the timid guys out there." She turns and says something to Danny and then he starts strumming, "_Hello there, I know you don't know me_

_But slightly enough to exchange friendly words._

_Acquaintances would be the technical term_

_For people who speak like we spoke when we learned_

_That I'm a salesman, you're a teacher_

_But in my spare time, I'm a seeker._

_I see your necklace and you see my promise ring."_

Grace has this big grin on her face as she continues to sing. It makes me think that it was a gamble she didn't even know would pay off. I wolf whistle and a blush creeps up her cheeks.

_"I thought of you, I thought of you._

_It's not what my woman would want me to do._

_But I know nothing more than the God's honest truth,_

_And that's: Baby, I thought of you."_

Her voice is just as beautiful as the night I first heard it. She looks happy as she stands up there, belting out the lyrics.

_"But, baby I'll think of, Baby, I'll drink to. Maybe, just maybe, I'll wink. At you"_

The audience applauds her and then Trish is there and they swap over. When she comes back down, I hug her. "You're kind of amazing, you know that?"

She shakes her head, "Nah, I'm just surrounded by amazing people. Now let's get some food. I am starving."

* * *

**The song Grace sings is "I thought of you" by Johnny Gallagher! :) HOPE THE FIRST DATE LIVED UP TO EXPECTATIONS! :D**


	56. Chapter 56

Isaac ends up breaking a bone in order to start the healing process so he can sober up and drive me home. When we get out of the car he slips his hand in mine, "Did you have fun?"

"Pretty sure that was the best first date in the history of first dates. Good work, Lahey. You have my approval."

He blushes, "So, I didn't totally come up with it on my own. I called in Scott, Lydia, Stiles, Cora and Allison."

"I know, Lydia told me. She also said if you have a problem with her saying anything she'd be more than happy to tell everyone about some incident involving you climbing through her window at 11:30 at night."

Fear crosses his face, but he quickly straightens out his expression. This morning when Lydia came over with an outfit I demanded to know how she knew it would be appropriate or not. She said Isaac called in the big guns and then she told me about how one night when Melissa was out and Scott was with Allison and Stiles was with Cora and Danny was with Ethan and Aiden was with her, Isaac stayed home and watched the Notebook. He knew it was Lydia's favourite movie so when Aiden left he climbed through her window and was basically weeping because, "Why the hell can't Noah catch a break?"

She swore me to secrecy, but I found it cute. I kiss him goodnight and he hands me a CD case. The cover art is hand drawn and the list of songs is a mish mash of stuff. Isaac Lahey made me a mixed CD.

"Did you draw the cover art yourself?"

He bites his lip and rubs at the back of his neck, "Yeah. Is that okay? I mean, this is _super _cheesy."

"Well then, colour me yellow."

He rolls his eyes and pecks me on the cheek, "Call me when you've finished the CD."

I watch him run down the stairs and I quickly duck into the loft. Cora and Derek are on the couch watching some rerun of Doctor Who (Stiles converted Cora).

"Hey, G! How was it?"

"He made me a mixed CD."

Derek raises and eyebrow while Cora makes a grabby motion with her hands. She whistles, "Damn, Lahey's got game." She hands me back the CD and I run up to my room to listen to it. The track list is:

_1. Mr Brightside-The Killers (because anyone who doesn't like this song is not to be trusted)._

_2. Shake it Out-Florence and the Machine (because it led me to you)._

_3. Chasing Cars-Snow Patrol (That night you called me after your nightmare and we went to see your parents)._

_4. How to be a Heartbreaker-Marina and the Diamonds (So damn hot)._

_5. Somewhere in Neverland-All Time Low (I'd gladly run away with you)._

_6. Kiss Me-Ed Sheeran (…it could be our song?)_

_7. Yellow-Coldplay (Yesterday)._

_8. Stop/Wannabe Mash up-The Spice Girls (You know why)._

_9. Grace-Jeff Buckley (because it's called Grace)._

_10. Isaac-Bear's Den (Scott said if I found a song called Grace I had to find one called Isaac)._

_11. I Should Have Kissed You-One Direction (because I should have)._

_12. I Miss You/Feeling This/After Midnight/Always-Blink 182 Mash up (Some of Cam's favourites that I know you'd like)._

_13. Last Night I Dreamt…/Our Perfect Disease Mash up-The Wombats (because we're pretty dysfunctional)._

_14. She's a Rebel/Last of the American Girl-Original American Idiot Musical Cast_

_15. The Only Exception-Paramore (because you are. You're the only girl I will ever love. Everyone before you is irrelevant and I am hoping I won't fuck this up so there won't be the possibility of anyone after you. I love you, Grace Fitzgerald)._

_16. Bonus Track: Untitled (This is Scott…he doesn't know this is here)._

I skip straight to the last track. It's silent at first but then there is humming and a knock, "Come in!" Isaac must have accidentally recorded himself as he was fiddling with the mash ups for the CD. What a gumby. I can hear the scrape of the door against carpet, "Hey, do you have a minute?" It's Melissa. Isaac must indicate he's free because Melissa continues, "Scott told me about the connection between him and Grace. I wanted to see how you were going with that?"

I can practically see his face screw up as he thinks about it; mouth poised in a frown, "It's not ideal for either of them, but they can work through it."

"I asked how you felt about it, kid."

"Oh, ah, I mean, honestly? It sucks having your girlfriend bonded to your best friend. But it is Scott, and he would never do anything stupid that would hurt Grace, and vice versa. Grace gave up her cigarettes when she found out Scott was asthmatic. I think that shows how it'll be. Plus, without the bond she would be dead. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Melissa hums in agreement, "You really love her, don't you?"

"I do," I can hear a smile in his voice, and my stomach does a backflip or 10. "She's incredible. She's an absolute stubborn pain in the ass, but sometimes I need her to call me out, y'know? I like that she calls me out. And we're so different, she likes humanities and arts and I like science and maths, but we're kinda similar. She would give up anything for anyone. And she is absolutely beautiful, Melissa, inside and out."

"You have it bad, kid."

He groans, "I know. What if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Oh, trust me. She feels the same. That time she dropped me off at work I didn't need any of your werewolf senses to know she was completely in love with you. So, do you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"That you love her."

"She knows."

There's a thump, probably Melissa whacking the back of Isaac's head. He doesn't react to that as violence, but as affection, because with Melissa is says "I love you, but you're being an idiot."

"You're almost as bad as Scott-"

"HEY," comes from the other room.

The two of them laugh at that for a while before Melissa says, "Tell her you love her, kid. And in as many different ways and as much as necessary, okay?"

She gets up and there is shuffling, probably hugging, before the door shuts again.

"I am completely in love with her," he huffs out a laugh as though it's the most insane thing he has ever heard. "And he said I would never find someone, that no one could ever love me. Ha, looks like he was wrong about a lot of things."

I sit there for a moment before reaching for my phone. I punch in Isaac's number and I'm met with a sleepy, "Hey, baby. You finish the CD already?"

"I didn't. I just listened to the bonus track."

"Bonus Track?"

"Ask Scott about it. I love you, Isaac Lahey. It's scary how much I love you because people like me shouldn't love anyone, but I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

"Get some sleep."

" M'kay."

The phone clicks off and I quickly transfer the CD on to my iPod, playing track 16 over and over again.


	57. Chapter 57

I stumble down stairs in my pajamas the next day bleary eyed with sleep, or lack thereof. My nightmares had evolved from being stuck while everyone burned in the fire to when Peter held me up as he slit my throat; staring at my friend's faces as they stood helpless. It's safe to say that sleep is something that evades me.

I stumble into the kitchen and pour myself a bowl of Fruit Loops when I hear giggling. I quickly spin around to see the pack hanging out in the lounge room, "Jesus fucking Christ, Derek. Warn a brother before you invite company in."

"They have keys," he dead panned, as if that changed anything. I rolled my eyes, "We doing this now?" I ask Scott. He nods, "Everything." I get he means the connection. "You sure?"

"The only time I've kept something from any of these people was when I was a packless Beta. I'm an Alpha now, I should act like one."

"You tell Alli yet?"

"Yesterday."

"Okay, we're good to go, people."

Scott begins, telling them how I figured out what I was and I came to tell him. He tells them what a Seer is and then he tells them about the connection. It confuses nearly everyone at first besides Ethan and Aiden, because they're twins and they get the connection thing. Eventually everyone gets on with the idea, though.

Erica appears beside me; probably the first of many dead people to pop up whenever they pleased. Getting used to that would be interesting. "Man, what's going to happen to McCall when you've got your period? Or you on the full moon?" I hum for a minute, "That's a good question. I guess we can only see when it happens."

Isaac looks at me, "No one asked a question, Grace."

Fuck. I'd have to learn to start announcing the dead's presence otherwise my friends will think I've cracked it and put me in the institution themselves. "Erica, she pointed out something interesting."

"Erica's here?"

Erica rolls her eyes, "Of course I'm here, you idiot. She's pack. We help pack."

I turn to her, "You consider me pack?"

She nods, a small smile on her face. "Tell them what I said."

"Erica said that of course she is here. Her question was what happens to Scott when I'm...well, on my period. And what happens to me when the full moon rolls around."

Stiles jumps up and rummages through his back pack, pulling out my Bestiary. "You stole my book!"

"Stole, borrowed, stealthily took while you were passed out in the hospital. What's the difference?"

He rifles through the book before stopping. I suck in a breath, willing Stiles not to say anything. Oh please god, don't say anything.

"Fuck," he mutters. "It doesn't say anything about what happens. Usually the connection is between two males. You're the first female Seer."

_He didn't say anything. He didn't say anything. He didn't say anything_.

"Did you tell them about the side effects?"

_He said something_.

I shake my head, "I thought I'd keep that bit to myself since it's, you know, private."

"Fuck you, Grace. This isn't a privacy thing. It's a fucking pride martyr thing. Tell them."

Erica rolls her eyes, "Dramatic much? It's her life, Batman

"Seers usually die within the first year of their being a Seer."

Derek growls, "How do they die, Grace?"

"They kill themselves," I whisper. It's barely audible for human ears but for all the werewolves in the room it's as clear as day. "Or they over exert themselves trying to stay connected. Being connected to the dead like this takes it's toll on a person. It's drives them mad to the point where they don't want to hear the voices anymore; feel the darkness anymore."

I look at Stiles, Scott and Allison, "Haven't you felt like your darkness has faded away? Haven't you wondered why?"

"You've been taking it away."

"That's the point of the connection, Scott. I take the bad stuff so you can be a good leader, a good Alpha. Stiles and Allison feed energy off of you, and so a little of their darkness floods into you. I can't take all of theirs away like I can yours, but yeah."

Derek's on his phone, punching in a number and putting his phone on speaker.

"Hey Marin. You're on speaker with the pack." He quickly relays the story and it's a while before Morrell replies.

"Grace, have you had any episodes lately?"

I can't look Derek in the eye, "I was hoping to discuss it in private with you on Monday. But I'm sure darling Derek already told you about it."

"You're right, he did. Look, here is my theory. I think a lot of Seers didnt have the information or the support system you have. From what I know, they were often kept secret from a pack, hidden away. What you and Mr. McCall have going is different, and you have an amazing support system available. I think it's going to be okay."

Derek thanks her and says something about confirming their plans for later on in the day.

"Are we good now?"

He crosses his arms, "No, we're not. We're going to talk about this later."

I stay silent as Erica laughs, "If he said that to me, I'd seriously slap him."

I laugh, "I don't know if you've seen all my failed fights with him, but that isn't an option."

She laughs as she fades away, either no longer bothered or too tired to continue to conversation. Derek clears everyone out of the loft, following behind to go see Marin. Cora goes with Stiles, muttering something about an English project they're working on together.

I'm left alone in the empty house until the loft door swings open and Isaac is standing there.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He crosses the floor and the distance between us vanishes as he smashes his lips against mine. This isn't like any of the other kisses we've shared. This one is fueled by desperation and sadness and a plea to please feel like you can tell me anything. Before I knew it, Isaac is pulling me over to the couch and I am straddling his lap and there are hands everywhere.

Before it gets too far there is a whistle and a mutter of, "Jesus." I turn to see Lydia at the door. I hide my face in Isaac's neck as Lydia says, "No, please don't stop on my account."

Isaac mutters something about how he better go and practically runs out the door. "I have to stop turning up unannounced and seeing that kid in compromising positions; it's getting old."

I don't ask what she's talking about because I doubt ill want to know the answer, "What's up, Lyd?"

"Well before all that nonsense occurred I was going to ask you how your date went, but I can see it went very well. Did Isaac get a special reward?"

From what she's said I can't help but grin. My favourite thing about Lydia is that she doesn't do dramatic shit, but instead chooses to see things as they are. She knows there isn't a major impact on me, so she doesn't fuss.

"No, it was our first date. I wasn't going to strip naked for him."

"Are you willing to strip naked for him?"

Was I ready to have sex with Isaac? Yes. Easily, yes. There was a few fears I had, but I was definitely ready.

"Yeah."

"Then there isn't a problem. Now, go upstairs and change. I'm going to make us something to eat."

I comply with Lydia's request, but not before I text Isaac to see if he's okay. I don't get a response, and when I text Scott I don't get one either.

They're probably out for a run or something, I reason. Deep inside though I know they're avoiding me. That's just something I'd have to deal with tomorrow.


	58. Chapter 58

I call Isaac three more times the next day before accepting the fact that he's completely ignoring me. Jack ass. I shower, get dressed and head to the diner before Cora and Derek wake up. When they both got in last night I got a very long lecture about hiding things and my personal health and well being; nothing I hadn't already heard before.

When I walk in, I sit at the counter instead of a booth. Mags wattles over with a pot of coffee, "Hey, kid. You looking for employment?"

I laugh at her vagueness, "Details would help me answer that question."

"My grandson is moving in with me, his family got in a car accident and they all passed away, and I was hoping to spend Tuesdays and Thursdays with him. I need someone to cover 4-8 those days."

"Oh my god, Mags. I'm so sorry. Of course I can help you out."

She smiles and then says, "Speak of the devil," and nods towards the door. A tall boy with brown hair that sticks up at all angles walks in. His clothes look like he's slept in them and he looked like he hasn't slept in days. It's a look I'd worn myself so many times before.

He walks over to us and Mags introduces us, "Jude, this is Grace. Grace, this is my grandson; Jude."

I smile at him, "Hey Jude. Oh wow, you probably get that a lot. You in high school?"

"Junior."

"At Beacon Hills?"

He nods. He's not one for conversation I can't see, "Well, I'm a Junior at Beacon Hills with a car. Do you need a ride to school?"

He looks at Mags questioningly who says, "Grace that would be amazing. Go on, Jude. Ill see you later, baby."

They say their goodbyes and we're in the car on the way to school, "Normally I'd drop coffee of to the gruesome twosome but they can get their own today."

"You an only child?"

I shake my head, "I had three older brothers."

"Had? Past tense?"

"They died in a fire, along with my parents. It's just me and two family friends now. So, if anyone knows what you're going through; it's me."

"You're a Fitzgerald."

"And don't wear it out."

The rest of the drive to school is relatively quiet, bar the sound of Isaac's mixed CD. When we get to the school it's empty, mostly because it's 7:08 and most people have probably just woken up. "So, do you mind if we stop by my locker and then I can take you to the administration office to sort out your schedule? Then I can show you around?"

"You don't have to be nice to me, you know."

"I don't have to do a lot of the things I do. I'm not being nice to you because I think I have to because you're Mags' grand kid or because we have something in common. I'm being nice to you because you deserve to be treated nicely."

This kid had trust issues that would rival Derek, Isaac and me. He frowns for a moment before speaking. "Then yes, that sounds good."

We go to my locker and then go to the administration office, "Hey Mrs. Cartwright; Grace Fitzgerald to pick up the last week's worth of work and Jude to pick up his schedule."

She prints out his schedule and hands me a stack of papers. When we're out in the hallway again when Marin approaches us, "Hey Grace, do you mind if we reschedule for lunch today? I have a new student to speak to this morning."

I nod, "I was just bringing the student to you. Jude, this is Miss Morrell. She's the guidance counsellor and French teacher."

Jude says hello to Marin and says a quick cya to me and the two are walking down the hallway. I hesitate for a moment before following them. Jude's in my home room and I know all to well how hard it is to find a class room at Beacon Hills High School when you don't know your way around or a friend to show you where to go.

I sit beside Marin's door and begin reading the legal briefs I missed. I'm readying about the effectiveness of the United Nations for 10 minutes before I see a pair of legs that are clad in a pair of black skinny leg jeans. I look up and am met with Isaac's big blue eyes. He's hesitant before sitting beside me, "Hey."

"Oh, do I exist again?"

He sighs in defeat, "I'm sorry, okay? I just had to think about stuff."

"Whatever."

He rests his head on the wall, "I thought you had a session this morning?"

"There is a new kid, so I'm just hanging around to show him where home room is."

"Him?"

Trust Isaac to only get that part from what I said, "Yes. Him. Mags' grandson. He's just lost all of his family in a car accident."

"Shit," he mutters. It's then the door opens and Marin and Jude step out. Isaac and I quickly stand and smile. Marin looks at the two of us, "I want to see you two at lunch today. No excuses." We both nod and the door shuts behind her.

Jude grins, "She's kinda scary, but totally awesome at the same time. And you didn't have to wait, you know."

"She is, and yes I did. I was new two months ago and knew nobody. We're in the same home room and then I thought I could show you to your first class."

"You're a saint," his eyes drift to where Isaac is standing and he quickly extends his hand to Jude. "Isaac Lahey. Nice to meet you, and I'm sorry about your loss."

Jude hesitates for a moment before I cut in, "I shouldn't have told him, but he's the one who introduced me to your grandmother and he also gets what it's like to lose family. Isaac and I are both orphans."

We're walking down the hall towards our home room, "That's fine. Sorry for being weird, man. I'm Jude." There is a little more awkward small talk before we head off to our different rooms.

"So, that your boyfriend?"

"Kind of. Yes. It's complicated."

"Ah, young love."

I laugh, "Well what about you? You have a special someone in your life?"

"Someone? Politically correct much?"

"I prefer the term unassuming." That makes him chuckle, "No, no one special in my life. No girl has caught my fancy."

The bell rings and I show Jude to his class. Now I just had to get through the day to lunch to see what the hell Morrell wants


	59. Chapter 59

Isaac and I meet up outside Morrell's office for the second time that day. He nods his head towards the door and I walk inside. "Hey Morrell!"

She smiles, "Grace, Isaac. How are you?"

"Confused."

I roll my eyes at him, "Is there a reason he's here?"

"I thought Isaac could sit in and listen to our session today. Are you okay with that?"

I like how she asks even though we both know I have no choice in the matter, "He'll just sit and listen, right? He doesn't get to talk like Derek?"

"If that's what you want."

Isaac complies with my request, grabbing a seat and sitting against the wall to give the allusion that it was only Marin and I in the room. It's not like I could feel his constant gaze on me or anything.

"So, how are you coping with the connection between you and Scott?" Is she trying to break Isaac and I up? Although, apparently I'm doing a good enough job of it myself judging by the silent treatment I've been getting.

"Honestly?"

"Have we ever been anything but honest in this room?"

She had a point there, "It's like an ache in my chest most of the time. The ache only ever subsides when Scott and I are in the same vicinity. He doesn't experience that ache, I think. I think my end of the connection is much stronger than his end. It sucks completely, because neither of us are able to live our lives to the fullest. The poor kid has been refraining from certain activities so I don't have to experience the overflowing affects. We're trying to figure out ways to dull the connection, well, I am; for Scott's sake."

"And how do you think that will effect you?"

"Ever heard what somebody on anti depressants describes it to be like? They feel like they're cut off from a part of themselves."

"What do you think it'll be like in the future?"

"I think I'll have to go to college where Scott goes and basically go where he goes."

"Putting your future on hold," Isaac snorts.

I shake my head and face him, "You're putting words in my mouth. I said go where Scott goes. I can build a future around that. Or I can build a sort of resistance to the effects of the bond. It's not a concern for another year."

Marin nods, "And how do you feel when Isaac isn't around?"

I bury my face in my hands. I take back what she said about trying to break me and Isaac up. She was trying to kill me through mortification. I push my hands through my hair and look at her, "The ache I feel when Scott is a 100x better than the one I feel when Isaac isn't around. It's stupid, but it's what my Dad used to describe when my Mom was out of town on one of her cases."

Her voice is quiet and careful, "Your parents were proper mates, weren't they?"

I nod. The thing with werewolves is there are mates they have when they're with someone; like boyfriend or girlfriend or even married to, but there is a step above that. I'm not quite sure what the term is, but it's like what humans say about the one or whatever; your other half, your ying yang? What's that Greek myth that humans originally had four arms and legs and Zeus tore them apart because he feared their power? That's what mates are like; true mates anyway.

"Do you think Isaac is your mate?"

"Yeah, I think he is."

Isaac is up and out of the room within a second, leaving me and Marin alone in the counsellor's office that suddenly seemed too big for comfort. "Fuck," I mutter. The bell goes and I quickly leave the room, ignoring Marin's calls down the hall.

I rush into my legal studies class and take my usual seat behind Stiles and Lydia when Jude walks in. I wave him over and he sits beside me, "I didn't know you were a legal kid."

He just shoots me a grin and shrugs, "The law is an interesting thing. Plus, I thought I should learn how to manipulate it for when my inevitable arrest for vandalism would occur."

I raise an eyebrow, "Vandalism?"

"Well, street art. A lot of people consider it vandalism though."

The class goes by quite quickly until the very ancient but very wise and very attention grabbing teacher declares the class has an assignment, "Counsel will be in pairs of two. I will hand you a scenario and you will face a mock trial. I've asked some of the drama kids to help out. Your partner in counsel will he the person sitting beside you. Good luck."

Jude and I were the prosecutors of a he said/she said sexual assault case, whilst Lydia and Stiles were the defence. From the information on the cards it looked like they were a shoe in for winner. This would get interesting and heated faster than a sauna. Jude and I make plans to start practice tomorrow after my first shift at the diner, and the bell signifying the end of day sounds out. What a relief.

Stiles walks beside me to my locker, "You and the new guy are close."

"Yeah, well my boyfriend is ignoring me, Scott's avoiding me like the Black Plague because Isaac asked him to and Derek is pissed off at me and you and I had a bit of a thing yesterday so I don't know where we stand currently and I haven't seen Danny, Ethan or Aiden all day. I had to get my daily dose of male interaction somewhere."

He frowns, "We're good, you know that, right? I just didn't want a repeat of what happened with Peter. We'd be devastated if you died; _I'd_ be devastated. You and I get each other on this bizarre nerdy we need to be good enough level. The others will come around. And hey, Lydia seems cool with you. Allison is Allison, and Cor...well, she loves you. You're her sister. She worries."

I listen to what Stiles says, "I've decided I want to _live_ for you all. I can die for you all later, but right now I want to live for you guys _and myself._ You're in no fear of losing me just yet."

He grins and then runs off to lacrosse practice, content with my answer and with a huge weight off of his chest. _Oh, Stilinski. You should really stop worrying and take a moment for yourself._

I go to throw my stuff in the Camaro when I feel someone behind me. Without thinking I just react and elbow whoever it is in the stomach before whipping around and seeing Isaac. "I am so sorry." He waves me off, already recovering due to his werewolf healing.

"We need to talk."

"Don't you have lacrosse practice today?"

"Scott's covering for me."

We both get in the car and into the back seat of the Camaro. It's silent; completely and utterly and it's making me feel anxious.

"Jesus, please speak before I lose my mind. Please." The begging in my voice is pathetic but it makes him speak.

"You were right, I have been avoiding you. I asked Scott to sort of step away from you too. That was so wrong of me. I was just worried about you."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

He takes his fingers through his hair, "I know, I know. Look, when you said you being a Seer could hurt you physically and emotionally I freaked out. When you were in the hospital you said you did that for me, and I didn't want you to hurt yourself for me. That, and I had to see whether or not I would ask you to do that in order to see Mom and Camden. Then what you said to Morrell, about me being your mate it freaked me out because I am 17 and with the life I've been living I thought I'd be dead by now. That I wasn't worth love. It terrifies me that you love me just as much as I love you. It just made me think more about how you would sacrifice your own well being to make me happy, to make any of us happy. But then I heard what you said to Stiles, and I realised how stupid I was being. I was worried about a possibility instead of a reality. Right now with you."

I roll my eyes and cuddle into Isaac, he exhales a breath and it's okay between us again, "You're such an idiot."

"Maybe, but I'm your idiot."

It's silent for a while, "I could stay like this forever."

"In the school parking lot?"

"No, like this with you."

Isaac's face breaks out into the biggest grin as he picks up a book thats on the floor of the car and begins reading aloud to me_, "My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die._

_I counted._

_It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I'd ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of miles away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, 'What's the difference between a trip and a journey?' and my father said, 'Narnie, my love, when we get there, you'll understand,' and that was the last thing he ever said."_

Isaac's reading voice was probably one of my favourite things to listen to in the world. He read with such passion and reserve that it was almost impossible not to be entranced. Today he was reading me my favourite book in the entire world; _On the Jellicoe Road_. I was drifting off to sleep as he read, the last words I remember hearing were; "'_And then a boy named Fitz came by on a stolen bike and saved their lives.' Hey Grace, like you. You came by and saved our lives. I guess it's the job of anyone with Fitz in their name."_


	60. Chapter 60

I think Grace is my favourite when she's like this; totally peaceful and not guarded. When she sleeps she's free, well, at least when she sleeps beside me. Most times her sleep will be nightmare free, as is mine. I don't know why that is.

Maybe it's a mate thing, because what she said in Morrell's office was true. We are mates. Most people are lucky to find their mate by the time they're 45. I guess we were just lucky to find each other so young. Just because we're young it doesn't change anything. It doesn't mean this will fizzle out or anything like that. So many people would say to us "you can't fall in love at 17" if they knew. But really, where does it say you can't? I know 17 year olds like Scott and Stiles and Cora and Lydia and Allison and Danny and Ethan and Aiden and Grace who are capable of feeling so much more and being so much more than people double or triple their age. Hell, Derek is a perfect example of someone who at 17 felt more and will probably feel more than anyone I know or ever will know.

I continue reading her book as she falls asleep. It's a good book. It's such a Grace book about a bunch of fucked up kids trying to get their lives together. There's a character named Jude in it. I think that's why Grace might've take Jude under her wing, on a subconscious level. In the novel, Jude and Fitz are best friends but they're sort of enemies at the same time because on is from the city and one is from this small country town in Australia.

Grace begins to stir, opening her eyes slowly, "I don't want to go crazy, Iz. I don't want to, I don't want to."

"Hey, hey, hey. You're not going crazy. You just live in a crazy universe, okay?"

She nods slowly, never taking her head off of my chest where she had buried herself into in order to sleep.

"Let's get you home, baby." Grace nods and hands me the keys and whispers, "Don't tell Derek" before falling asleep again.

* * *

The next day at school is relatively uneventful until I started seeing dead people, "Jeez, Laur, you might want to give a girl a heads up before popping up whilst she's trying to drink."

Laura just rolls her eyes; a Hale family trait. We're sitting at lunch. Scott has ended his avoidance of me by Isaac's request and so it's relatively okay between everyone except Cora and I now. She and Derek haven't spoken a word to me since Derek's lovely chat the other night. Across the table Cora watches me carefully. She must have heard me mention Laur's name. Instantly Laura addresses the issue, "I don't like you three fighting."

"Neither do I, but they're being stupid."

"They care about you," she shoots back before going back to fiddling with her blonde hair. She'd dyed it after the fire because being a brunette was a Hale trait and she didn't want to think about her dead family every time she looked in the mirror. Laura was where I had gotten the idea to cut my hair from. She had the same blue eyes as Derek but with the smile of Cora. She was absolutely beautiful and I had lost count of how many times I stood in front of the mirror in an attempt to perfect my make up like her's.

"I know, but he left me after you died."

"He was scared. He was 21. He didn't know how to take care of a 15 year old."

"You were 19," I mumble.

Her eyes flash red. Laura had been Alpha of our pack before she died, "Never say that. I was shit scared. You two were lucky you survived my parenting."

"I'm sorry."

She dismisses it and looks at Cora, a sad smile fixed upon her face, "If I had known she was alive I would have searched the world for her.

"She knows, Laur."

She laughs; cold and empty before fading away. Isaac squeezes my hand and Jude sits in the place where Laura occupied, "Hey, I thought we should go over some details for the trial."

That gets Lydia's and Stiles' attention, "We should discuss who we want for trial judge."

"Well, who did you choose for your defendant," asks Jude.

"Greenberg."

I make a face, "Seriously? Greenberg? Well, I guess that rules out Finstock."

"Seriously? You're not going to ask Finstock? I would have," Stiles says in disbelief.

"And I would have asked him to remove himself from the bench due to prejudice to my client and thus a conflict of interest."

Lydia smirks, "We could avoid having this conversation if you two settle."

Jude shakes his head, "We have a duty to put that towards our client but we will advise her taking a deal is the worst decision she will ever make."

"Yeah, sorry but your client is a scumbag who coaxes his students into having sex with him for grades. No way in hell are we making a deal. See you at trial."

Cora just grins at the four of us.

"What?"

"You sounded exactly like your mother just then."

I smile a thankyou and then Lydia launches into a speech about some Halloween party she is having on Friday. "I expect you all to be there, no excuses. That means you as well Jude. And costumes are required. Grace, I have yours so don't worry about finding a costume just come over straight after school on Friday and I'll help you get ready."

I stare at her, mouth open, "Lydia Martin, my outfit better not be ridiculous."

She quirks up an eyebrow, "Have I ever steered anyone in the wrong direction when it comes to fashion?"

Scott goes to open his mouth and Lydia shoots him a look and he quickly closes it again. Everyone in the group laughs. Jude turns to me, "So I'll see you after you get off work tonight? We can pick roles and then start planning arguments."

"Sounds good. See you later."

He winks at me and then waves to the others and is off in a flash. "Okay Lydia, you have to tell me what I am being forced into being for Halloween. Lydia? _Lydia!_


	61. Chapter 61

Lydia wouldn't tell me what I was being forced to endure on Halloween. She has skillfully mastered the one raised eyebrow glare and it is absolutely terrifying. Working was actually pretty fun too. The other girl on shift was really lovely and all the customers were reasonably understanding about me being new to the job, so they were relatively kind.

Jude stopped by with 10 minutes of my shift left and ordered us both dinner to go, which was kind of him. "So, Mom had a case similar to this so I was thinking we could go over her case files and then pick who we want as judge, our complainant, witnesses and who we definitely do not want as jury members."

"You've put a hell of a lot of thought into this. You sure your…ah, caregiver will be okay with me coming over? It'll probably take a long time to shift through all that stuff."

"Derek will be cool with it."

"Will Isaac?"

"Isaac isn't my keeper. He might be at my house, actually. Derek teaches self defence classes at his gym and Isaac and the others have been really interested in learning after an incident occurred in town."

"When you got attacked by Derek's uncle?"

I freeze, "No, it wasn't Derek's uncle. It was an ex boyfriend."

His lips go in the shape of an O, but he isn't fooling me one bit. How did he know about Peter? I shake off the weird vibe that's come over me. Maybe it was just one of the many rumours from that night. I mean, people still thought _Isaac_ did it. Peter's "leaving" town did coincide with my attack. Any decently intelligent person could have drawn the connection.

We pull up outside the loft and when we get to the heavy door I pause. I probably should have told Derek that Jude was coming over. Or that I got a job. Or that I saw Laura today. Wait, no. He's the one being a dick. "Do you think you could hang here for a sec?" He nods and I quickly run into the loft. Sure enough the pack is there training. "You all need to put a hold on the supernatural talk and abilities for 10 minutes because Jude is here and we have to prep for our mock trial." Lydia and Stiles were missing from tonight's group so it meant they probably were doing the same. They probably had hours on us.

Derek raises an eyebrow, "Where have you been? And who is Jude?"

I ignore him and open the door to see Jude fiddling with something on his phone, "The place is a mess due to the many teenagers that go through it on a regular basis so please ignore it."

He snorts, because the house is perfectly tidy but it's what you say when people come over. "Jude, this is Derek. Derek, this is Jude. And Jude you know everyone else I think. Derek and Jude shake hands but Derek is still frowning because Jude is a stranger and we don't cope well with strangers.

"I need the key to the room."

"It's not hidden, Gracie." He goes over to the fridge and reaches above it to pull down the key for the room where all that remains of our previous lives are buried. I try not to go in there too much but sometimes it's unavoidable. Jude and I head up the stairs, "Well, they all seem nice."

"They're a bunch of assholes but I love them."

He chuckles and we get to work. It takes hours upon hours of shifting through case files and googling legal jargon we don't understand until we finally come to a conclusion of how we'll operate and what line of attack we'll take with each witness from both the defence and our own witnesses. We call Lydia and Stiles and agree that we should either get Morrell to be our trial judge because part of being a counselor is dispute resolution and that is what we need. We go through the jury and do the usual yes no on participants. Then we get to the important stuff, "Who will do closing arguments and who will do opening arguments?"

Jude considers this, "I think you should do both. For consistency. And you're amazing with grabbing people's attention."

"I don't know, what you said at lunch to Lydia was pretty bad ass. She's a force to be reckoned with."

"I can tell by the way she demanded everyone's attendance to her Halloween party. Did she tell you what you're going as?"

I shook my head, "Probably something ridiculous. Have you figured out what you're going to go as?"

He nods, "As cliche as it is, I think I'm going to go as superman."

"Cliche? Nope. Superheroes are the best. "We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be," I say, quoting Grant Morrison.

"You're a fan, I see."

"Oh definitely. My love has intensified because of my relationship with Isaac. That kid loves superheroes so much, which is totally understandable with everything that's happened to him."

"So you guys are on good terms again?"

Jesus, this kid asks a lot of questions. "Yeah. We're never really on bad terms even when we are."

He nods and it's quiet again as we go back to working. "Do you believe in the supernatural," Jude asks suddenly. I can literally feel ever fibre of my being freeze.

"Like the tv show?" I try not to look up because I know he'll be watching me. It's not like I haven't been asked this question before but it's different now. Now I've lost a lot of people and anyone interested in the supernatural could be a potential threat. I mean, sure a lot of teenagers believed in it. They're the smart ones."

"Not like the tv show. Like werewolves and vampires."

I bite my lip and give him the most honest answer I can, "I believe love exists. Supernatural creatures running around isn't too far a stretch from that."

He seems to accept this until he says, "Fine, keep lying to me. I know you know."

Jude leaves pretty shortly after that. It's close to midnight and I run to Derek's room.

"I think Jude knows."


	62. Chapter 62

Derek ends up calling Scott and then Scott puts everyone on red alert. "He's not a threat yet, but we just have to watch ourselves." The panic of a threat forces Derek, Cora and I to be okay again. The day after the Jude scare I wake up with the two of them on either side of me in my bed. I took a picture of the three of us and I smiled for the rest of the day.

I mostly avoided seeing the dead, barring one incident where Mrs. Stilinski was fussing over Stiles and his crazy hair. I didn't have the heart to tell him though because he would be devastated by not being able to see her.

I mostly only saw Jude in homeroom, legal and stuck to studying with him for our mock trial in the school's library. Occasionally I would see him in the halls but we both avoided each other pretty successfully.

Friday rolled around pretty quickly which meant it was time for Lydia's Halloween party. I'd been nervous for two reasons; one, Halloween was also known as the day of the dead, so would I see a lot of the dead, and two Lydia had still not told me about my costume.

"Please Lydia?"

"You'll see your outfit later, Grace"

I slammed my head against some lockers in frustration and defeat, letting Lydia walk away from me. Another body was beside me in a heart beat, "Don't even worry about what she's dressing you in. You'll look amazing." I look up at my boyfriend, "You won't be the one wearing it. What if it's super skanky?"

Isaac smirks, "Well, then I guess I am a lucky man who should be thanking Lydia." He winks and walks away. Jesus. Things had been heating up between Isaac and I since the whole "yes-we-are-proper-mates" epiphany that occurred with Morrell, and I couldn't say I was displeased with it. In fact, I was very pleased with it. I still wouldn't let him remove any of my clothes. I was still nervous about my body, even despite Derek's speech. However, there was a lot more suggestive comments and lingering touches. I shook the thoughts out of my head

"You just have to make it through Halloween, Fitzgerald."

* * *

"Lydia Martin, there is_ no way in hell_ I am wearing that." The school day had gone by pretty quickly. I was right about the whole day of the dead thing. I had people darting in and out of my field of vision all day, but none stopped to interact. They preferred to hang around their loved ones which was nice to see. After school Lydia and I went back to her house to set up for the party and she finally showed me my costumer.

I had _every right_ to be afraid.

There was an off the shoulder white and tight blouse paired with a black skirt with tutu material underneath that was mid-thigh, a small white apron and a red hooded cape.

Lydia Martin had chosen the costume of _Little Red Riding Hood_.

"You've got a good body and it's Halloween, the perfect time to show it all off."

"Little Red Riding Hood? Lydia, could you be any more obvious? We have a potential hunter or supernatural abuser or something on our hands and you go with Little Red Riding Hood?"

She rolls her eyes, "I swear does over dramatic run in this pack or something? Put on your costume and then come downstairs so we can set up and then I can do your hair and makeup."

She bounces downstairs in her Wonder Woman outfit, because as if Lydia would be anything but. We get the house ready in less than two hours and have an hour to kill before the others arrive. I don't know how but Lydia got her hands on some alcohol, and when I say some I mean enough to subdue a small army for a week. "Hey, do you think if you drink you and Scott will still be connected? I mean, if alcohol dims your inhibitions and all that, wouldn't it dull the connection?"

She had a point, and so I put a bottle of cheap beer to my lips when the doorbell rang, "I'll get it!"

I open the door to reveal Scott, Allison, Stiles, Cora and Isaac. Scott and Allison have come as Peeta and Katniss from the Hunger Games. I wonder who had that idea. Stiles and Cora are the 10th Doctor and Rose, probably due to Stiles everlasting love of it and Cora's new love of it. The four of them look amazing. My eyes float over to Isaac, who is staring intently back at me. He's in an old Canadian Mountie uniform. I wonder if he remembered what I said about a man in uniform? I let the others in and Isaac lingers behind them all.

"You coming in," I ask Isaac, who is still standing in the doorway.

He just smirks and shakes head. I roll my eyes and follow the others inside. When the others turn the corner out of the main hallway a hand snakes out and grabs my wrist and pulls me in so I am pressed against him.

"My, my Red…Lydia was right. You do look amazing." His words are barely more than a whisper in my ear and my heart was beating ridiculously fast. Poor Scott in the other room; wait, why am I thinking about Scott when Isaac is so close to me? "Isaac," My voice cracks and he moves his face so I can see the smirk on his lips. "Yeah, well, you don't look so bad yourself, Lahey."

"You're trying to play it cool, but I can hear your heart beat, remember? You're totally-"

Isaac was cut off by the door bell. He sighs and moves to open the door and lets in Danny, Aiden and Ethan. Danny is dressed as Chuckie, Ethan is a dead brain surgeon and Aiden is Freddy Kruger.

"Hey Gracie Lacie! Lydia got to you, huh?"

"You promised to protect me, Danny boy."

He just grins, "I did. This was the compromise on the outfit. You should have seen the original."

The three continue down the hallway and Isaac pulls me close to him again. His lips are ghosting my skin and it only registers now that he must have known what I was going as for him to say Lydia was right. "You knew!" My tone was accusatory and he chuckles with his mouth still ghosting my neck. His breath is hot and my head is spinning. "She originally wanted me to go as my wolf form but I said isn't that a little too obvious."

"So you came as a Canadian Mountie? Someone remembers my comment about a man in uniform."

His lips finally touch my skin and I am on fire but of course the door bell rings again. "Mother fucker."

Isaac opens the door again and a flood of people rush in. Isaac looks at me with a mad glint in his eyes, "Have I told you lately how much I hate people?"

"You and me both, Iz."

We join the others in the backyard. They're already drinking up a storm and Aiden hands Isaac a beer muttering something about it being laced with wolfs bane. I look up at him questioning, "Only way we can get drunk and stay drunk."

I slip my hand in his and he brings it up to his lips and places a kiss on my hand. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

How could I ask for a better way to spend Halloween? I mean, getting drunk with my friends and my girlfriend in costumes that no self respecting person would wear on any other evening besides Halloween. Grace hadn't had any major incidents with the dead today and she had just told me about her plan to block the connection (_"Lydia said alcohol could block the connection; just enough. Scotty will probably drink enough for the two of us any way")_.

Of course though, something had to ruin it. All of a sudden Jude is next to me, dressed in a brigadier uniform. Grace turns to him, "I see you ditched Superman.

"Yeah, I thought going as a Brigadier would be more appropriate. Jude Scalon is the best one of the Fucked Up Five."

She sticks out her tongue, "You're only saying that because Jude survived. We all know the best one is Fitz."

They're talking about the book I was reading Grace the other day. Jude suddenly looks uncomfortable, "Isaac, do you mind if I steal Grace away for a moment? I just wanted to talk to her about something."

Grace grabs my wrist, "Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Isaac."

"You're scared to be alone with me? We're at a party. You're not alone anywhere."

"Last big event I went to I got my throat slashed. This isn't being scared of you this is me being logical."

He huffs, "Fine then. I wanted to apologize for the other night. I was over tired and I didn't really know what I was saying. I'm sorry."

She nods, "Well, thank you for apologizing. I'll see you Monday."

Grace turns her back on him and cuddles into me, "Is he gone?" Her voice is a shaky whisper, designed for my werewolf hearing. I nod and she looks up at me. "Thank you for sticking around."

"Thank you for wanting me around."

"I always want you around."

I laugh at her honesty brought on by the beer, two vodka lemonades and one cigarette she's had. She's still pretty sober considering all that. Despite her size should could probably out drink Scott and Stiles who are both jumping around to Blink 182 that they're blasting in the back ground. Lydia is whispering something to Aiden and Cora, Danny, Ethan and Allison are recording Scott and Stiles for black mail evidence later.

Like I said; is there a better way to spend Halloween?


	63. Chapter 63

**Before you read please know I have never ever ever written anything like this before; like ever. So please, be kind. I have no clue how to understand the rating system on this website so if I have to change it please let me know. Enjoy!**

* * *

I flit from pack member to pack member all night. I dance with Lydia and Allison, I talk life with Cora and Stiles, I challenge Scott to a duel and I get chased around the house by Danny. I teach the twins how to get people to stay the hell away from them. I'm never alone thanks to a buddy system rule created by Scott.

I avoid seeing the dead thanks to the alcohol in my system and I avoid seeing Jude thanks to years of trying to have 5 minutes to myself in a house where it was constantly crowded.

It's almost 10 when Isaac says something about going to the bathroom. Cora sees me and shouts over the music, "I have to stay with Lydia. Go with him?" I quickly follow Isaac and lean against the wall of the bathroom waiting for him to come out. When he grins, "We're finally alone. God, you're beautiful."

"You're drunk."

"Yes I am. And you're beautiful. And tomorrow I'll be sober, and you'll still be beautiful."

I look at him, "Are you quoting _The Dreamers_?"

He huffs out a laugh, torn between being embarrassed and proud of himself, "I had a massive crush on Eva Green."

I try and put on my biggest shocked face, "First you ask out Lydia, then you're crushing on Alli, you _lived_ with Cora and now I have to compete with the beauty of Eva Green? You're killing me here, Iz." I laugh, to let him know I'm joking, but he cups my face with the most serious look in his eyes, "Grace Fitzgerald you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen and you don't have to compete with anybody because I love you and only you."

I can feel his breath, warm due to the alcohol, on my face. His eyes are pleading with me; to try and get me to understand what he's saying is the utmost truth. Our noses are almost touching, and I glance at his lips, which are poised in his signature smirk. I lean in, breaking the distance between us, and kiss him. It's totally instinctual, lots of open mouth and mutters of "shit" and "I love you." His hand slips down the curve on my back, having the same effect on me as it did when we waltzed together. He stops, resting his hand just under the hem of my shirt, "I need you, Grace." His voice is completely and utterly wrecked and I can't believe I have that kind of affect on him. I nod, "Is Melissa working tonight?"

He rests his forehead against mine, "Mhmm, and Scott is staying with Stiles for some bro time."

I grab his hand and pull him through the crowd to find Lydia. She would absolutely curse us if we left without saying goodbye. I spot her across the courtyard, sitting in Aiden's lap talking to him and Danny. We quickly cross the courtyard, "Hey Lydia, I think we're going to head off. Isaac's not feeling too well."

"Over do the punch, hey?" She giggles at her own joke, "Are you going to come back and crash here still?"

I bite the inside of my lip, "I'm not sure, but if Derek asks, I stayed here okay?"

She winks at me and waves us both off, we pass by a couple of our friend's but I don't see Cora anywhere. I send her a quick text, "Staying at I's. Cover for me?"

I get a reply not even a minute later, "Sure. Nothing stupid."

Isaac takes my hand and we walk to his house from Lydia's. Thank god it's only a few blocks away because part of Lydia's Little Red Riding Hood costume includes black stilettos. That girl and her fashion choices _will_ be the death of me, not the supernatural crap we put up with day to day. We pass a couple of trick or treaters who wave at us, and we wave back. Isaac has one of my hands and he keeps kissing it feverishly. He looked at me, "We don't have to do this, y'know? We can go home and just put on a movie and fall asleep." We're both relatively sober now due to the lack of alcohol in a long time and the cool night air. Thankfully Scott is still pretty drunk because I don't think I could do this without a little liquid confidence and I really don't want Scott to feel the overflowing effects of this.

"Lydia would be disappointed in us."

"Screw her, Grace. This is about you. Are you cool with this?"

I nod and he leans over and whispers in my ear as we stop outside the McCall-Lahey residence, "Need to hear you say the words, baby."

"I'm ready. I want this."

He puts his hand under my chin and turns me towards him. He kisses me lightly, "Promise I won't hurt you. You say stop and we stop, okay?" Isaac is shaking slightly and I'm not sure if it's from the alcohol or the anticipation of what is about to happen. We make our way to the front door and he fumbles with his keys for a moment before finally unlocking the door, "Melissa? You home?" No one replies and he grins at me, "Y'know how long I've been waiting for this? For you?" He is kissing me between his words, hands on my waist pulling me closer and up the stairs, "My whole damn life, Grace. That's how long I've been waiting for you."

When we reach Isaacs room he gently lays me on the bed and pulls back. He has a knee on either side of my waist and a hand on either side of my head. He's hovering above me; smiling. It's a genuine Isaac smile and not his dumb ass smirk. It is absolutely perfect.

He leans over to kiss me, his hand travelling up my body. I tug at his shirt and he quickly removes it.

"Well, this is a bit unfair, isn't it?" He whispers in my ear, his hand at the hem of my shirt, slowly pushing it up. That is when I begin to panic, "Can't I keep my shirt on?" Isaac is off of me in a second, "Sort of defeats the purpose. Come on, what's wrong?"

"It's not that I don't want to, because I really do but my upper body is like Frankenstein's monster."

"You're absolutely beautiful, Gracie. Not Frankenstein's monster at all."

"You haven't seen it."

"Then show me."

I grab the hem of my shirt and slowly pull it off. I'm left in nothing but my bra and skirt and Isaac just sighs, "Fucking gorgeous." I catch his hand and drag him back so he's on top of me. All fear previously felt has washed away with his words. There is kissing and hands everywhere, heavy breathing and moans and it is probably the hottest thing ever. Eventually all the clothes are off and Isaac is sliding on a condom, "You ready?"

I smile up at him, letting him know it's okay and he smiles back.

_Our next great adventure._


	64. Chapter 64

I wake up thanks to the sun shining through the windows and the sound of my phone making it known someone was calling me. "Isaac. Phone," Grace mumbles into my chest; mostly still asleep. I smile at her before reaching for my phone. Last night really did happen.

"Hello?"

"Hey Isaac, it's Melissa. Look, I'll be home at like 12 but Scott's dad may beat me home. He wants to have lunch with us all as a _family."_

"Did you want me to clear out?"

"You are family, kid. You, me and Scott. He isn't."

"I'll make sure the house is spotless."

"Thanks, kid."

I click off the phone and Grace buries into me and I pull her closer, "Morning, baby."

"Morning," she slurs back. "Melissa called you family."

I laugh because of course she could be mostly asleep and use her chameleon Seer powers to steal some werewolf hearing, "She did."

"I'd like a family someday…with you." That's when she freezes, fully awake and aware of what she just said. I think about it, because I would love to wake up beside Grace every day and being woken up by our kids running in our room and jumping on our bed.

"Sorry. We just had sex and I'm talking about having a family together. Way to make things awkward, man."

"I think you'd make a great mom."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I roll out of bed and she protests, "No. Stay."

"I'm going to make us breakfast. I'll be back in a bit."

She sighs and nods and I can't help but grin because she wants me to stay. I go down stairs and start cooking us breakfast. Grace is slightly addicted to my cooking, which is awesome, and that means I can cook whatever I want. I crack a few eggs and cut up some mushroom, spring onion and salami in order to make an omelet. A pair of hands wraps around my waist and she kisses my bare back, I turn to see Grace in nothing more than my white t-shirt and a pair of my boxer briefs. The wolf inside me howls appreciatively.

"I like you in my clothes," I growl.

"Someone's wolf is slightly possessive."

"You like it."

"I do," she coos, standing on her toes to push me. I guide her back until she is against the kitchen counter. She pushes her hips into me and I groan.

"Jesus, I have to eat in this kitchen." We turn to see Scott and Stiles standing there and Grace doesn't even have the courtesy to look embarrassed. "Announce your presence then, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb."

Stiles flicks her the bird before chucking a bag at her, "Thank Cora for that. Also, nice love bite."

Her hand instantly goes to her neck and I look over at her; scanning her body. Sure enough there is a bruise, but not on her neck. "Babe," she looks me in the eye and I tilt my head slightly indicating lower; _much_ lower. She looks down at the bruise between her thighs and blushes before runs upstairs calling out thanks to Stiles and something about him being jealous because he can't mark his girlfriend.

Scott just grins, "You know Derek is going to kill you, right?"

"Oh, absolutely. I don't know how Stilinski survived his wrath." Stiles flicks me the finger and goes to the couch, "Butt head werewolves."


	65. Chapter 65

I tug on the jeans that Stiles brought, wincing a little thanks to the bruise on my inner thigh. If I wasn't so damn pleased with it, I'd be annoyed. Last night was…nice. It hurt a hell of a lot and it was awkward at first but after the pain and the awkwardness subsided it was great. Isaac was careful and gentle and kind. It was exactly how I pictured my first time. I was lucky compared to a lot of people, I guess.

I decided to keep Isaac's t shirt on and tie my hair back, as much as I can with it's length, and run back down stairs. Isaac grins when he sees me and hands me a plate with hardly any omelet on it, "Scott and Stiles?"

"Scott and Stiles," he confirms. He drags me to the living room where the two boys are watching The Amazing Spiderman. They're up to the scene where Gwen and Peter are on the roof after dinner and Peter jumps off the room and Gwen says, "Boy, am I in trouble."

Stiles coughs, "Hey Grace, what ever happened to your dad?"

I tense beside Isaac, "He died, Stiles. You know that."

"He means your birth dad," Scott murmurs. Dammit McCall.

"I told you I'm not pursuing that, Scott." I stand up, picking up my stuff. "I'll see you later."

"Hear me out."

I whip around and point at him, "I don't have to hear you out, McCall. You have to hear me out because while you may be the Alpha, I am the Seer. I am better than a fucking emissary. You need me. I don't need you. I choose to stick around. You can dig into my biological father's past. You can investigate as much as you fucking want. Ask Isaac or your mom or something but count me out." I shouldn't be this angry. My voice shouldn't be wavering as much as it is and I shouldn't be on the verge of tears.

"So, you're the _slut_ who has been sleeping with my son." The voice is harsh, the words intended to hurt. I did not need to deal with Isaac's father right now. I guess losing control of emotions meant the wall between here and there diminished, making his presence real and not like how Laura and Erica had been.

Isaac stands in front of me protectively, "She is not a slut."

"She must be to sleep with you. I mean, look at you, you're pathetic."

I need to make him go away. Put him back in that stupid hole he crawled out of.

Isaac laughs humourlessly, "No, Dad, you're the pathetic one. I get it, you know. I get you were in pain and you wanted to make everyone around you feel the loss you felt. I know how much you missed them. You had survivor's guilt. I get it. But that isn't an excuse. You're a piece of shit and sometimes I am glad you're dead."

Isaac's father raises his hand but he's gone before he gets to strike down his son. Isaac is crying and I lace my hand in his.

Stiles looks at me, "Remember what you said when we were researching Lydia's banshee abilities? You said that knowing the back ground and the who, what, when, why, where and how was the most important part to figuring out how to control it. You could have avoided that."

I nod, "Yes, okay. Anything. Jus-just give us a minute?" Both boys flee the room and I look up at Isaac, "I am so sorry. If I hadn't lost control like that-"

"You gave me the chance to say everything I wanted to him. I am just so sorry for what he called you. You're not that at all. You also don't have to do what Scott and Stiles said."

I look at him. Derek had told me stories about what Isaac was like when they first met. He was angry and violent, which was understandable given his background. He had a one track mind and he wasn't great with his emotions. He'd definitely grown out of that, "But?"

"It's the right thing to do."

"I know. I said I'd do it. I never go back on my word."

Without a word the pair of us begin cleaning the house for when Melissa and Mr. McJackass get home. Scott and Stiles come in and help us and all three of us keep sneaking glances at Isaac to make sure he's okay. He catches Stiles and with the little tact the human has he blurts out, "Isaac are you okay? I mean, I don't think I would be if I saw my dead abusive father. Not that Dad is abusive-I'm just going to shut up now."

Isaac shakes his head, "I'm fine, man; a little shaken up, but fine. I was sort of waiting for something like that to happen and it happened a lot differently than how I imagined it to go down. Can we drop it now?"

The three of us nod vigorously and the door bell rings, Scott runs to get it and Melissa trails in after him, "Grace, Stiles! You staying for lunch?"

"I thought it was a family lunch, Ms. McCall."

"It is."

I can see Isaac grinning behind Melissa, "Oh. I, uh-"

"Grace, you're dating Isaac. You saved my son's life. You're family. Stiles, well, it's Stiles."

"Ah, thank you." Isaac comes over and bumps my hip with his, "Melissa called you family."

"Yeah whatever you big dork."

We help Melissa unload the groceries and Isaac begins cooking. That boy and his food is honestly incredible. "Hey Mom, do you have access to birth certificates?"

Melissa notes her lip, "Yeah, why? Want to make sure I'm actually your mom."

Scott rolls his eyes, "Well I'm stuck with you now, aren't I? Actually it was for Grace. She wanted to look into her past without raising Derek and Cora sized alarm bells."

She shakes her head, "I don't, but I know on your birth certificate the father's name was blank. I helped your mother fill it in." This was new information.

"You knew my birth mom?"

"Not personally, but she was my first pregnant patient. You don't forget them."

It's scary how interwoven your life is with others and you don't even realise it. It turns out that Melissa has been there three critical times in my life; my birth, my adoption and just before my family was murdered. I wonder what else she has been there for, or will be there for. At that point the door bell rings and I volunteer to get it.

I can hear Stiles say, "Well, that was a bust."

"Her father died a week before she was born. Motorcycle accident. At least, that's what her birth mom said when she saw her." Isaac's voice is barely more than a whisper. He knows I'm listening in, the shit. I open the door and Agent McCall looks back at me. If anyone had answers, it would be him because he was still a deputy at the time.

"Hey Mr. McCall, I hope you don't mind me crashing your family dinner." He looks like he does mind but he just smiles politely. "Look, sir, I wanted to apologize for our previous interaction. If my mom saw me speak to you like that..."

He just nods, "Thank you for that apology, Grace. That took a lot of guts."

I lead him through the house and into the dining room where Isaac is serving up lunch. I quickly check my phone. There is a voicemail from Lydia demanding to know where the hell I went last night and threatening that I better have slept with Isaac to make up for disappearing. There's a text from Derek demanding my presence for a family dinner and one from Cora saying that she said to Derek that I was hanging out with Lydia today and that Lydia will support our story. I love that girl.

We sit at the table and the conversation is light. The typical how's lacrosse going, how's school and all that. Seeing as we're all juniors we get the "Any plans for after senior year question?" Melissa answers this one, a smile so big on her face its threatening to crack her head in half. "Well, Scott is interested in being a vet, Isaac is torn between being a nurse or going to culinary school and Stiles wants to be a paralegal because he loves research." Stiles is also interested in mythology but we leave that part out, "And Grace, I'm sorry I've never asked you."

"I'm sort of torn between options. Laura studied mythology in history and teaching and I used to help her study and it seemed cool but I don't think it's for me. Derek studied architecture but I can't imagine doing that. I'm interested in law, particularly criminal, family and international, but I'm also interested in journalism and politics."

"You just want to be Will McAvoy," Isaac teases and I kick him under the table. Mr. McCall looks at me, "Those are certainly high hopes. Any idea where you'd like to study?"

"I wasn't really keen on Columbia and NYU, which is where Derek and Laur went. I wouldn't mind Berkeley. It's close to home and it has an amazing reputation, but if I ever got into Brown there is no way I'd turn that down."

Mr. McCall whistles in approval, "If the two of you are all dating girls like Grace you're all in trouble."

The boys all laugh at that because they've all accepted that their woman are ridiculously independent individuals who, if they chose, could kick the boys' asses with their goals. We continue the rest of the meal like that and I wash up, refusing help from the others. Isaac sits on the bench, "Derek studied architecture?"

"He and Patrick, his dad, rebuilt most of the Hale house themselves. Full moons and periods took their toll, but there was always Derek and Patrick in these adorable utility belts to repair the house. They wanted to rebuild it from scratch after Derek graduated high school."

"I never knew any of that stuff about you. I mean, Brown? Berkeley?"

"Doesn't matter. I have to go where Scott goes, remember?"

"Scott and I discussed it and neither of us want you to give up anything next year, or ever."

I turn and kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you. Both of you. But it's my decision. Now come on, we gotta squeeze some info out of Mr. McJackass." Isaac follows me into the living room like a puppy. The others are sitting and chatting, "So, Mr. McCall, Scott was telling me you used to work in the Sheriff's department. I was wondering if you ever worked a motorcycle accident 17 years ago? The man had a pregnant girlfriend and it would have been in the fall."

He looks at me for a moment, "Why?"

"I want to get to know more about my heritage. I have a legal right to."

He chuckles at that, "Yes you do. Look, I don't recall it but I can check with John Stilinski."

I shake my head, "The Sheriff and Derek interact on a regular basis. Please don't."

Mr. McCall is trying to show Melissa and Scott he's a decent guy. That's he is sorry for his past indiscretions. It's why he agrees to help me, because I am a part of their lives and it's obvious they care about me. It's the same reason he is kind to Isaac and the same reason he tolerates Stiles, who makes a lot of off hand comments about what a dick Mr. McJackass was to his family.

Soon enough Stiles drives me home because "Lahey, you don't want to be any where near Derek right now" and because Stiles and I discuss tactics on how to go about finding this information without raising Derek and Cora alarm bells. He also briefly mentions the Jude situation, "I don't trust him. I hate that you got paired with him on this project."

"On Monday it will be over. Relax. I've died and been resurrected. I'm practically Jesus and you're worried about some punk who is over zealous in his supernatural belief?"

That makes Stiles laugh and he follows me upstairs to see Cora. "Good luck, Grace."


	66. Chapter 66

Derek was surprisingly okay about it. When I walked in he just shook his head and said "My room. Now."

I followed him up the stairs and down the hall to his room. Before that, Derek's room was unchartered waters. It was Derek's space and no one else was allowed in it. Cora and I respected that.

"Marin told me about you and Isaac's session..." The poor guy is bright red. I would be embarrassed too but it's just to damn funny.

"Der."

"No, please let me finish. Because you're going to say something like we don't have to do this and ill listen and ill regret it later on."

"I've already had the birds and the bees talk and the safe sex lecture but, Der."

"No, no, I know. I was in a very uncomfortable hearing distance for both of those conversations," he screws up his face. "I think Laura did that on purpose."

"I so did. Listening to Derek squirm was always good fun; almost as fun as watching you do red."

Laura is splayed out on Derek's bed laughing at us, "God, you two are hopeless."

"Laura said we're hopeless."

"Yeah, well shut up, Laur. Okay, no, we need to do this. This isn't a sex talk or a where do babies come from talk. This is a true-mate-and-the-responsibility-of-it talk."

My mouth forms an O shape and Laura says something like she has to see this. This was definitely not what I had been expecting. I was expecting furniture thrown and death plots like when Derek found out about Cora and Stiles. Seriously, being surrounded by werewolves sucked because they always knew stuff like this.

"Not everyone finds their True Mate, but you already know that. Your parents...they were one in a million." I nod, because he was right; in more ways than one. One in a million because of their bond, because of their personalities and because of their dedication to better the world. They worked beside hunters in an attempt to remove their fear, because people fear the unknown and the different, and so hunters could truly hunt those who were killers and not just werewolves based on prejudice.

"Was Paige your true mate?" He smiles sadly and shakes his head, "Paige meant and still means a lot to me, and she could have been, but we never cemented our bond. Which, ah, which is what you and Isaac did."

I blush deeply and I can hear chuckling. Cora and Stiles are so getting pay back for when the tables were turned. Shit heads. Laura is just shaking her head, "I can't watch this."

"Oh."

"It means a lot of changes, you know that right? You'll both be highly perceptive to each other's emotions...You'll essentially feel the same way you do with Scott."

"So I'm bonded to them both?"

"You won't be able to feel the physical pain of Isaac. You won't be able to do a lot of things you do with Scott, but there will be things with Isaac that you can't do with Scott."

"Like have sex."

Derek visibly flinches and oh my god this is so much fun, "Yes, like that. Any questions?"

"When a man loves a-"

"Out. Now."

"But Derek-"

"No. Ask Lydia, ask Cora, ask anyone who isn't me. Out of my room now."

He shoves me out of his room and I come face to face with Stiles and Cora, "You got off easy."

"I can play him like a fiddle."

"I heard that!" The three of us break into a fit of giggles before the couple walk away and into Cora's room. A sickening sensation comes over me and I try to block it out for Scott's sake. Loneliness is unbecoming in a lady.


	67. Chapter 67

Lydia is splayed out on my bed with a magazine. She probably came over in the hope of finding Grace but the girl obviously wasn't here; Lydia stayed though. I'm playing some video game that Stiles left here a while ago and keeps forgetting to take when he's here. Scott and Melissa are downstairs watching a movie because while I am still family, they need some mother-son time after Mr. McJackass' visit. (Grace's nickname was sticking after she accidentally let it slip after he left today).

"So, did you two ditch my party or did Grace run off with Jude?"

I make a face and she chuckles, "Relax. There is no way she'd run off with that creep. "

"What's your opinion of him?"

"You mean am I getting any killer vibes from him? No. Doesn't mean I trust him. I wish she requested a new project partner."

I pause the game and fall back on my bed, "You're not pissed about us blowing off your party are you? I will totally take the blame for it. Grace felt terrible leaving and-"

"Oh stop trying to protect her, Lahey. I'm not pissed. I know you two went and did the dirty. I mean, "Isaac feels like shit"? Hello, you're a werewolf. You people don't get sick unless it's physical pain."

I huff out a laugh because we thought we had gotten away with it, "So we weren't as smooth as we thought?"

She arches her eye brow in a are you fucking kidding me way, "Subtlety has never been the Fitzlahey strong suit."

"Fitzlahey?"

"Fitzgerald and Lahey, like Brangelina. I get bored and make up couple names for everyone, like Danny and Ethan are Dethan; not important. What's important is how was your little rendezvous went."

I roll my eyes because there are boundaries and there is no way I am discussing my sex life with Lydia Martin, no matter how open she is about hers. I know way more about Aiden and his habits in bed than I ever cared to know thanks to her.

It's silent after that; both of us lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling. For a moment I think that Lydia has fallen asleep until she mumbles, "Sometimes Grace reminds me of Jackson."

I turn my head towards her because that is the weirdest fucking comparison of two people I have ever heard, "How the hell did you get that one?"

"The same way I realized you and I are very similar. And don't give me that look, Isaac, because you know we are," she says in response to my face.

"How?"

She swallows, not looking me in the eye because Lydia doesn't do emotional. She hasn't since Jackson Whittemore left on a plane for London never to be seen again. "I know my home situation was nothing like yours, okay? My parents didn't beat me or call me names so what I am about to say is going to sound so stupid to y-"

"Lydia, a bad home is a bad home. It doesn't matter what happens. Just because my dad beat me and yours didn't doesn't make what you're about to say any less important or less terrible, okay?"

She nods, "Neither of my parents love me. I am a pawn in their game. They use me to get at each other. Dad wanted me to pick who I wanted to live with to hurt my Mom. He tried to convince me by buying me all this fancy stuff but he didn't really want me. He just wanted to hurt her. I have no clue how they lasted 20 years together. I guess they thought having me would save them, but it didn't. I didn't know what love was until I met Jackson, y'know?"

I nod because I do know. I understand where she is coming from because I have been there.

"Anyway, you and I both put up fronts to either keep people around or push them away. I pretended to be stupid and some cold hearted bitch and you act like an arrogant prick. We both think if people don't get to know the real is then they can't reject the real us."

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you last year." I break the unspoken pact between us, because Lydia Martin is lying on my bed pouring her heart out to me and she wouldn't be if I had killed her. She isn't telling me this because she has no respect for me and doesn't car what I think of her, but because she does and I have to show her the same back. She turns to me, tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"Doesn't matter now, Lyds," I say in response, because it doesn't. As much as I hate to say it Lydia not saying anything meant I got to be where I am now. I'm in a good place, with people who love me. Living the way I did sucked, but it was sort of worth it for this."

"Same to you."

I pull her closely to me so that we're hugging. There isn't anything romantic or sexual about it. It's just two friends talking. "Hey Isaac, there's one more thing about us that's similar."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Lydia's smiling now.

"People underestimate what we would do for the people we love. They underestimate how much we care. And that, my friend, gives us the advantage."

I join her laughter, because Lydia is right in everything she has said tonight. We are ridiculously similar. "So, how are Grace and Jackson similar?"

She bites her lip, taking great consideration in what she says next, "They're both adopted, and that's had an effect on them. Jackson may have seemed like...well, he may have seemed that way but it was because he was so harsh on himself. He wanted to be perfect to please the parents he never knew. It was this constant struggle to show he was good enough. Grace is the same. See the way she mostly does what Derek wants? How she obeys Scott and does things to appease everyone? She's always going above and beyond to show everyone she deserves her spot in the pack; that she is good enough. She's going to kill herself trying to do it one day."

A knot tightens in my stomach because everything Lydia Martin has said tonight had been true but no words have ever been truer than what she said about Grace. I just hope it never came to that. She said something about living for us all. Maybe that means she won't? I wasn't taking any chances though, so when Lydia left for her own bed I quickly pulled out my phone and called Grace.

"Hello?"


	68. Chapter 68

"Isaac? Are you okay?" I'm fumbling around in the dark pulling on whatever clothes I can find and am reaching for my keys when Isaac replies, "I'm fine, baby. Did I wake you?"

I pull my phone from my ear to check the time; 12:27 am. I could get away with lying.

"No, I was just reading in bed."

"Liar."

I chuckle, "Yeah, okay you caught me. Not to sound harsh but what's with the phone call? You're a text message type of guy."

I grab my packet of cigarettes and stumble down the stairs and onto the balcony.

"Couldn't sleep. Just wanted to hear your voice. Are you smoking?" I could practically see the redness in his cheeks and the frown on his face. He hates that I smoke, but he puts up with it. Sitting here in the cool air and talking to Isaac almost made me forget that we weren't a normal couple; that the supernatural didnt plague out lives.

"Yeah. Scotty said I shouldn't give it up, that he'll heal and it won't have any effect on him. I gotta have my vices, baby, and because of your dad?"

He's shaking his head, his blond curls flopping around, "No. Fuck him, he doesn't get to control my life anymore. I was a little worried about Derek, actually. And you...I feel bad about pressuring you into finding out about your dad."

I take a long drag of my cigarette, taking my time with the inhale, hold and exhale. "Derek was really okay with it, although I don't think he wants it thrown in his face. So, all future coitus must be kept on the DL."

A snort comes from the end of the line, "Coitus? Am I dating Sheldon Cooper now?"

"I'll take that as a compliment, shit head. Sheldon Cooper is obviously the coolest of the Big Bang nerds."

A scoff this time, "Excuse me? It's obviously Howard Wolowitz. That dude has got game."

"You have got to be kidding me. Gosh, how can I even be dating you? How can I even find you remotely attractive?"

There's a chuckle, "Well, I guess you can't back out now. True Mates and all that."

"But you can." The air goes still, "Look, Isaac, you didn't sign up for all of this crap. Me? I did. You-"

There is a growl, "No, I love you. So stop being stupid."

My voice is barely above a whisper when I reply, "I love you too, baby."

A content sigh, "You've had a rough week, Grace. How are you doing?"

"Oh you mean how I found out I can see the dead and the future and the past but not my own family? Or how about the fact that I'll most likely jump off a cliff at some point? Or that my project partner is a nut job? Or that I have to look into my sperm donor's life?"

"Tell me how you feel about them all."

This was starting to sound like one of my sessions with Morrell but I comply because it's Isaac, "With my father, I'm not expecting anything. He's dead, you know? He can't be a disappointment if he's dead. I can handle Jude with my hands tied behind my back and both eyes shut. He's harmless. I don't know about the Seer stuff. If it helps I'm happy."

"And what about the mental stuff? The jumping off a cliff?"

I don't answer, "Baby, it's late and I got to get up and meet Jude."

"Grace-"

"I'll talk to you later. I love you."

I hang up before he responds and go upstairs. I fall asleep relatively quickly; tossing and turning. I wake up at some point with arms around my waist. I turn to see Isaac. I lightly blow in his face and he wrinkles his nose; yawning before opening his eyes.

"How'd you get in here?"

"I used to live here. This used to be my room. I know how to break in and out of here."

"Huh."

He kisses me on the head, "You gonna tell me about the mental stuff now?"

I curl into myself, "I don't wanna be crazy. I don't wanna be that way again, like I was when my family died, when Laura died."

"I know, but you're not going to go crazy. You heard what Morrell said about support systems? Well you got pack, and Cora and Derek and I. I don't count us as pack because we're mates and..." Isaac keeps speaking. His voice is husky and when he's tired he rambles and it's the cutest thing ever. I pull him by his collar to me and I place my lips on his, "If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?"

He chuckles, "You'll always be superman, Gracie. And you're not going crazy. You're going to talk to us when it gets dark, okay? You're not going back down that path."

We both must fall asleep at some point, I guess, because when I wake up I'm alone in my bed. Isaac must of snuck at some point. I touch the spot where he was and I slip into a vision. It's Isaac sitting on the porch of the Hale house, but it's all done up. Derek must finish his architecture course and finally rebuild the house. There's a little boy hanging from Isaac's back. He has matching curly hair and blue eyes and there is a little girl swinging from his arm and one clutching at his ankle.

"Daaaaaaaaad, when is Mommy coming home?"

"What? You three don't like me no more?"

The girl clutching at his ankle rolls his eyes, "No, dummy! But we miss her! Her and Uncle Stiles have been gone for a week!"

"Well, your Mom and Uncle Stiles are good at their jobs and people need their help a lot."

Suddenly a car horn toots and the kids are jumping up and down, "Mommy's home!" Isaac practically jumps over them to get to the woman first, "Well, hey beautiful girl. I missed you." The woman has long curly brown hair that's tied up. It takes me a moment to realise it's me. I must only be able to see it because Isaac is in it.

"Hey beautiful, I missed you." I chuckle, "Iz, you practically barreled over the kids to beat them here."

He blushes and the children tackle me in hugs, "Mom! Daddy let us stay up past 8 and we ate Mexican and Uncle Scott and Uncle Derek and Uncle Danny and Uncle Aiden and Uncle Ethan came over for "bro time"! What's "bro time"?

Isaac darts into the house yelling something like, "What happened to unity in this family?" Oh yeah, he knew he was in trouble. I slip out of the vision and go downstairs, grinning like a fool. Isaac and I had a future together; we have a future.


	69. Chapter 69

I make my way downstairs to where Derek and Morrell are sitting at the breakfast bar. Did she stay over last night? Huh.

I pour myself some cereal and begin shoveling it down and Derek rolls his eyes, "You eat like you were raised by wolves."

"I was raised by wolves."

"You know what I mean. Also, why did I catch Isaac sneaking out of here at 6.30 this morning?"

"Probably because Melissa gets home at 7."

Cue the Derek Glare. I seriously have no idea how he perfected that look. He must have practiced in the mirror a lot. "I'm kidding, Sourwolf. Look, we were talking on the phone and I ended the conversation abruptly and he just came over to see if I was okay. Nothing happened."

He seems to be happy with this answer and Morrell smiles at me, "You two sorted everything out, I see."

"It's sort of hard to stay pissed at Isaac. He's like a lost puppy. Anyway, I better head off. I'm supposed to be at Jude's in 20 minutes."

I quickly grab my notes and frown. Yesterday I was so keen on keeping digging into my father's identity a secret from Derek, but I made a pact to this family of no secrets. I turn to him, "Scott thinks digging up my past will help us figure out more about this Seer stuff. We're looking into stuff about my biological father. She won't tell me anything, so we went to Agent McCall."

Derek coughs, "Are you sure you want to so that?"

I nod and he smiles, "Okay. You did good, kid. If anythings off about this Jude guy's house-"

"Call you or Scott or Aiden or Cora or Ethan or Allison or Isaac or Danny or Stiles or Lydia; I got it." I give the couple sitting at the breakfast bar a bow before leaving for my study session.

I get in two minutes before Melissa gets home and I see Scott at the kitchen table doing homework. It's become his routine and part of his be a better Scott McCall. He goes to school, works at the clinic two afternoons a week and Sunday. He has lacrosse practice the other two afternoons and when he gets home he studies and does homework and then he goes to training with the rest of us. Saturdays are his day. He'll sleep till 10 and then go hang out with Stiles or Allison or me. Melissa's proud of him, you can tell. I slump into the seat beside him and he just shakes his head, "Where have you been?"

"Checking on Gracie. She's studying with Jude today."

Scott freezes, "Where? Should I cancel my shift with Deaton?"

I shake my head, "His house, she's pretty confident he won't try anything with Mags around though."

"He said something with Derek and Cora in the house. The kid has some guts."

"Derek and Cora were asleep. Not that gutsy."

The front door swings open and Melissa trudges in, "Hey kids."

"Hey Melissa!"

"So, Isaac, please explain to me what I got an angry voice mail from Derek Hale about you sneaking out of his loft half an hour ago?"

I paled. I was in trouble. "Melissa, I'm so-"

"Save it, kid. You're grounded. School, work, pack meetings, werewolf emergencies and training only."

Scott tries to jump in, "Mom, they're True Mates. The distance will kill them."

She sighs, "It's so hard to punish you two, I swear. No cooking, for a week."

I freeze, "Do you mean I'm not allowed to eat for a week or I'm not allowed to cook for a week?"

Melissa frowns, "You know what? Forget it. I'm off to bed. See you boys later."


	70. Chapter 70

I knocked on the door and Mags answered, "Good morning, Grace. Jude's up in his room." I nod and head towards the stairs when I take in my surroundings. It's relatively dark in the small home and I can smell something sickening...is that _wolfsbane_?

The panic on my face must show because Mags says, "I'm not going to hurt you. It's mostly precaution. You know what werewolves can be like."

I shake my head because if I'm going to get out of this alive I have to stay calm and play dumb, "So that's where Jude gets the crazy notion that there are supernatural creatures running around Beacon Hills."

"It's not a crazy notion, Grace." I look up to the top of the stairs and standing there is Jude. I was trapped. I was going to die because I underestimated the threat. Had I learnt nothing in the last 17 years?

"Are you going to kill me?"

Fight or flight was beginning to kick in but Mags just laughed, "Im a practicing witch. You know I have to balance nature. You won't be dying under my watch."

Witches have the same duty that emissaries have; to keep the balance of nature. Although many would argue I'm a freak of nature that possesses too much power and should be killed. Normal people would be running for their lives right about now, but something kept me in my place.

"Yeah, Mags, not helping your case."

"We're _not_ going to kill you, Grace." Jude reiterated.

"It's cool if I don't believe you, right? I mean you all have _wolfsbane_ for crying out loud." Marin and Deaton had insisted that Scott and I under go a series of tests to see how the other reacted to certain things. Scott ingested a small amount of wolfsbane and I started puking everywhere. Our bodies reacted similarly to most magical herbs, plants and everything else under the sun. The wolfsbane could kill the both of us.

Mags sighs, "Grace, don't you think if I wanted to hurt you by now I would have?"

I consider this. It's true. Over the last two months Mags has had ample opportunities over the last 2 months to stick something in my drink at the diner, or in Cora and Derek's coffees. Maybe she didn't know about them. Still, "There are people who know I'm here. People who are stronger and more powerful than you. They'd be pretty pissed off if you killed me." God, I hope Isaac and Scott were feeling my panic. I didn't want to be the damsel in distress but there was no way in hell I could take on a witch and a 17 year old boy who looked like lifting weights was something he could do on his sleep. I needed help.

Mags rolls her eyes, "You means the Hales and Isaac? Honey, I've lived in the Beacon Hills area a long time. I baby sat Tahlia and Julia. I wouldn't lay a hand on you or anyone."

Isaac had told me about how Mags never ratted him out to the Sheriff. Okay, maybe they were okay. "How come you haven't said anything before?"

"You and your pack have been through a lot. You have trust issues."

"That's the understatement of the century."

Jude snorts, "We come in peace."

"Okay, fine. I over reacted. I'm sorry. I just have one question. Why the hell haven't you told us? Or intervened? There have been times where my pack needed you and you didn't step in."

"I'm a witch without a coven-"

"interference would have meant death," I finish. Witches get their power from nature and each other. Mags can probably only perform small spells.

There's a knock on the door and Mags opens it and Scott and Isaac burst in. If there was a real threat, I would have died with the time they've taken to get here. When they see Jude and I sitting on the stairs they have the most confused facial expressions, but then you can see they smell the wolfsbane and they're in attack mode again.

"Hey boys. Scott, aren't you meant to be working? And Isaac, weren't you and Danny working on that chem lab today?"

"Ah, yeah...you left some of your notes at ours."

I grin, "And where are they?"

Isaac growls and Jude chuckles, "We aren't going to hurt your girlfriend, man."

I skip down the stairs and look him in the eyes, "There's no danger here, okay? Listen to my heart beat. There's no danger. Thank you for rushing to my rescue, though."

He frowns and whispers, "I smell wolfsbane."

"Mags is a witch without a coven. If there was a real threat. Jude is a boy, so he can't be a witch. Sexist, I know."

Scott tugs on Isaac's arm, "She's safe, man. Come on, I'm gonna be late for work. We'll pick you up on the way, Fitz. See ya!"

They leave and Jude shakes his head, "He hates me."

"Naw, he just doesn't trust you. He's lost people. It's expected. Anyway, lets go work on this."

We rehearse the trial so much that it almost becomes second nature. We argue against each other to try and anticipate arguments Lydia and Stiles will come back at us with. Jude just shakes his head after my closing argument, "I think you might actually make Greenberg cry tomorrow."

I grin, "Coach said I'd be excused from P.E if I did."

He laughs, "Finstock really hates Greenberg."

"I'm telling you, it's a Snape-Lily-Harry situation."

We both laugh for a while before falling silent, "Gran says you're pretty powerful. She says one day the supernatural world will bow at your feet."

"Huh, that'd be the day. I'm not though."

"She also said you could bring back the dead."

I get where he's going now. Jude's just lost his family. He misses them and wants them back. He was a scared little boy. I flash back to the memory of Isaac in the cemetery. I flash back to Derek after Paige and I flash back to the time Alex and I got lost in the mall and he started to panic. "Jude..."

"Please, Grace. Help me? I just miss them so much. _So damn much_."

I nod, "Of course I'll help you. What are friends for?"


	71. Chapter 71

Stiles runs through the hallway in his suit shouting Grace's name. It's the morning of the big trial and as it was a mock trial they had to be in proper trial dress. He finally spots the Seer. She's getting some books out of her locker and laughing at something that her werewolf boyfriend is saying. She looks good in her knee length black pencil skirt and long sleeve white button down blouse. He can say she looks nice because he feels that protective brother instinct with her that he feels with Scott and he is totally secure about his masculinity that he can admit Scott is an attractive male with a nice butt.

He knows Grace and Cora spent a good portion of last night at the mall shopping for an outfit. Stiles is happy for her. She deserves to he happy and to have some resemblance of normalcy in her life. Cora loves that she's around as well; that they get to do things like shop, and homework and talk about boys.

He calls out her name again and she turns and smiles. She's wearing her glasses today. Her contacts must have been bugging her; it's something she's always complaining about. He tilts his head and realises no, it's not her contacts bugging her but she's tried to dress like her Mom today. Cora's shown him some old pictures of the Hales and the Fitzgeralds and while Grace and her Mom might not be related; they're a spitting image.

"Hey, Stiles! Ready to be respectfully owned?"

The boy rolls his eyes, "Your case has way too many holes. I'm surprised you made it past the committal hearing."

She flips him the middle finger, a gesture he's noticed she's fond of, but smiles. Her eyes are soft and he realises he can't do this to her; not before the big trial. He doesn't want to throw her off her game. "So, what's with the charging down the corridors screaming my name? Isaac said he could hear you from the top floor. Stiles glares at the taller boy, "You couldn't have texted and said you were here? Could've saved me a lot of running?"

Isaac shrugs indifferently, "You could use the exercise." Grace lightly slaps his shoulder. Goddammit, why did she have to be all happy, chirpy Grace today?

"Stiles?"

Stiles shakes his head, "I'll tell you later. See ya in court!"

"Genim Stilinski, get your ass back here and tell me what the hell is going on in that crazy, beautiful brain of yours."

Only Grace could get away with calling Stiles his full name. The threat in her tone was masked by the compliment she paid him. I look Isaac in the eye and he shakes his head. Scott must have told him what he'd discovered whilst going through records of vehicle accidents in Beacon Hills. Isaac didn't want Grace to know, but Grace was trying to be honest with all of them, so he was going to repay the favour.

"I ended up telling my Dad about what we're looking for since you told Derek, I thought it'd be okay. He said there was only one car accident in Beacon Hills the year you were born, and it was Jackson's parents. Records confirm it."

She pales before nodding, "So she lied. It's no big deal. I should have known she wouldn't tell me the truth." Stiles can see her shaking and he feels like shit for making her be like this. She turns to Isaac, "You knew?"

He nods; clearly ashamed. "That's...okay. I have to meet Jude for trial. Good luck Stiles." She stumbles off into the crowd and Isaac punches a locker. "I should have been the one to tell her."

Stiles glares as the gangly werewolf, "Yeah, you should have." He storms off to meet Lydia, anger fueling the bounce in his step.

* * *

Okay, so she lied. No big deal. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I should have known she was lying. My Dad was probably some one night stand she had and was too ashamed to admit. Whatever. It's not like I had the image of the three of us becoming a perfect family. I already have family with Derek and Cora. I have my pack. I have Isaac.

He shouldn't have kept that information from me. I wasn't made of glass. I wasn't going to break. He was trying to do the right thing but newsflash; trying to protect the one you love by keeping them in the dark or leaving them never works. We have the countless movies and stories and songs to show us that. Hell, Edward leaves and Bella starts rolling with werewolves. Did I just make a fucking Twilight reference?

I slam my head on the desk and groan. Jude is beside me and he quirks and eyebrow at me and mouths, "You okay?" I shrug and he places his hand on mine and squeezes. "Whatever it is, ignore it. Focus on making Greenberg cry and beating Stiles and Lydia."

I chuckle and then there's all call for everyone to rise, that the Honorable Marin Morrell would be entering the court room, the jury then follows. The teacher wanted to show us how we walk and talk and hold ourselves so he's got a camera at the ready. There's a big turn out. Most of the pack has shown up, to cheer on their significant other or friend. The only one not here is Derek because he has his shift at the gym.

Morrell smiles, "If the prosecution would like to present their opening statement?"

I see Jude wink at me from the corner of my eye as I stand and make my way to the jury. I smile at each and everyone of them, "Everyone in this room has attended high school. There's no getting around it. We hated it, but we went." I pause for the small chuckle before continuing, "Now, we expect some kind of safety whilst in the classroom or corridors, before and after lessons. We certainly don't expect teachers to forcing students into having sex for better grades, but that's exactly what the defendant did. He forced the victim, Hannah Marx, to have sex with him and then fixed her grade to how good he thought he thought she was.

"The defence will claim that Miss Marx was sexually provocative and that she came on to him. They will claim that Mr. Greenberg is the victim.

"It's the prosecutions' role to get justice for the victim. Make no mistake, the victim here is Miss Marx. Mr. Greenberg is a sexual predator, there is no reasonable doubt he isn't. The prosecution will prove this. There's no doubt about it."

I flip my hair and smirk at Lydia and Stiles as I walk back to my seat. This is war.


	72. Chapter 72

We won. Jude and I won. The jury took 10 minutes to convict and it was a unanimous verdict. I did make Greenberg cry and break down on my cross examination of him. Coach cheered at that and instead of the $20 I was originally promised I was given $50 because, "That was beautiful. When people ask me what my favorite moment in teaching was it's going to be the day I saw that shit Greenberg cry."

We were all given the rest of the day off so we were hanging out in the loft; even Jude tagged along. Isaac and I beat everyone to the loft. Everyone went home to either change or drop their school stuff home. Isaac was tip toeing around me the entire way home so I dragged him up to my room. "I'm not pissed at you. I get why you didn't say anything but I'm not made of fucking glass, okay? I lived on the streets for almost two years. I can take a lot."

"I know, I just. I dunno."

"Stupid were teen."

He rolls his eyes. "I need to come up with some Seer insults, don't I?" I lightly push him so he lands on the bed and I crawl on top of him.

"You really wanna insult the girl who does this?" I lean down and kiss him; slowly at first and then more hurried and desperate. The kisses are saying everything Isaac couldn't.

"I'm sorry"

"I love you"

"I was just trying to protect you"

"I don't like it when you're sad"

Isaac's hands are trailing down my body as I slowly grind my hips against him. He breaks the kiss with a splutter of disbelief and I trail kisses along his jaw, down his neck and chest.

"This is just like every naughty professional fantasy ever."

I look up at him and quirk and eyebrow. He looks at me sheepishly and I crawl up to peck him on the lips. "Scott's here."

He groans, adjusts himself and follows me down the stairs. He glares at Scott, who is utterly confused. He mustn't be paying attention to the bond today. I listen in to his emotions. He's...frustrated.

"You okay, Scotty?"

"I just hate that we hit a dead end."

He's talking about finding out about my father. I try my best to muster up a comforting smile, "Spring break's soon. I'll go up to New York and ask her if I have to."

He just nods but I can tell he's still pissed off. I focus on water, washing the negativity from Scott and flowing into me through the bond. He frowns, "Why'd you do that?"

His question doesn't get answered because Derek and Morrell bring pizza and, much to Stiles' disappointment, coke instead of beer.

Lydia and Stiles were okay with losing. They kept saying things like, "It was terrifyingly awesome" and "best trial in history." I just chuckled. Derek and Cora pulled me aside at one point and told me how proud my Mom would have been; how much I looked and acted like her.

It was fun; laughing and joking and teasing. It was like we were just a bunch of normal teenagers. Allison jumps up and says something about needing a glass of water, "Does anyone else want a drink?" Nearly everyone choruses a yes and calls out their drink of choice.

"I'll help you," I get up and follow her to the kitchen. We begin pouring glasses of water and coke and orange juice. I place my hand on the breakfast bar, slipping away from reality.

It's a classroom. There's an older man and a girl standing around and whisper shouting at each other.

"We can't do this anymore, Lauren! This sneaking around! My wife is pregnant with our son."

"Yeah, well I'm pregnant too, Tim. You're going to hang me out to dry cause I don't fit in the perfect bubble you've created for you, your wife and kid? What about our kid, huh?"

"It's not my problem. Deal with it."

The vision fades and blurs into something else. It's yesterday, when I was talking to Marin and Derek before leaving for Jude's. Past Me bows and heads out the door, leaving Marin and Derek to eat their breakfast.

"Shit, she's looking into her Dad," Derek groans. "She's going to flip a casket when she finds out."

Marin places a hand on his shoulder, "Finds out what, baby?"

"Her Dad died in a car accident a week before she was born. He was a teacher who had an affair with one of his students. Her half brother is Jackson. Grace and Jackson share the same Dad."

Marin grimaces, "How long have you known?"

Derek sighs, "Since I was like 9 or 10. I overheard our parents talking about it."

The vision shatters and so does my world. Derek knew. He fucking _knew_ and never said anything. And my biological mother was the whore I always thought her to be, but hey, the sperm doner wasn't any fucking better. I have a brother; a _real_ brother, but the thought doesn't do anything to calm the violent anger I feel swelling up inside me ready to explode like a freaking Volcano. Derek fucking knew that piece of shit.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and walk into the living room. It feels alien. Everything feels so damn surreal and in slow motion. Time finally picks back up again when I hurl the glass at Derek. It misses him by an inch.

"What the fuck, Grace," he shouts.

"Shut the fuck up, Derek. I fucking came clean yesterday. I fucking told you that I was trying to find out about my Dad. I was trying to be honest with you and this entire time you fucking knew? You knew who my father was and you never fucking said anything!" My voice is hysterical. If anyone can understand what I'm saying it'd be a miracle.

Marin tries to calm me down, "Grace, he was trying to-"

"Don't you fucking defend him! You, of all people, helped him! Honorable, my ass. When I asked you if you wanted an honest answer you said have we been anything but and I said no, we haven't. Guess I was wrong, wasn't I?"

She looks down, clearly ashamed. As she fucking should be. "Derek Hale, why is it you only give a shit about me when it suits you, huh? Well you know what, I'm fucking over it. Have a nice life."

I go to storm out the door before pausing, "If any of you try to find me, it won't end well. Leave me the fuck alone."

* * *

Grace is screaming. She's screaming about lying and honor. She's yelling words like hate and fuck and I can feel everything. I look at Scott to see he can too. He's shaking and his jaw is clenched. He looks like he's ready to kill someone. My expression probably matches his. When she storms out I go to chase her. But Scott uses his alpha voice to shout my name, "She said to leave her alone. Leave her."

"Scott-"

"Sit down, _now_."

I do as he says. Scott's never used his Alpha powers on any of us like this before. This is serious. He's gnawing on his lip, "Derek, you fucked up. Tell us everything before I rip your throat out and let Grace dance on your grave."

* * *

**It's been two months of me writing this story and I just wanna say thank you so much for the feedback and encouragement. This story would be no where with out you guys xx**


	73. Chapter 73

It's a strange place for me to end up, but somehow I'm in Isaac's old bed in his old house that he once shared with his family. I'm crying because I must be some kind of masochist. I keep seeing the flashes of Isaac from the past, the shouts of his dad as he calls me a whore.

It's easier to deal with than seeing Derek and Marin. I have money on Cora knowing as well.

I must fall asleep between Laura begging me to forgive him, to forgive her and watching little Isaac listen to Blink 182 and dance around his room pretending to be Tom Delonge because when I wake again it's dark to the previous dusk that was outside the windows.

There's a figure at the end of the bed; Scott. He throws up his hand in defeat, "I'm only here to bring you some clothes and food. I'm also here to tell you that I'm sorry. Please come back."

"I need some time, Scotty."

He nods in understanding, "I know. I feel betrayed too, but I got a pack to look after. Otherwise I'd be here with you."

"I know." He pulls me into a hug and sighs, "Isaac's gonna hate me."

"I don't wanna be trouble."

That makes Scott snorts. "Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in," he sings off key. "Seriously though, Isaac isn't a bratty child, he gets why you're staying away. I think he's more pissed off I won't let him rip Derek's head off."

I chuckle at that and Scott grins, "There's that smile." I flip him off and he rolls his eyes.

"Why here?"

I shrug because I really don't know. "What's Jackson like?" Scott frowns, "That's a better question for Lydia, Danny or Allison. They knew him better than me," and then Scott's gone and I'm being swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

"Scott, you gotta let me see her."

"Send a message through Stiles."

"Scott-"

"Isaac, shut up for a second. Do you feel it? Listen for it? You feel it? That's her rage. It's boiling. All that darkness? That's everything she drank from us all over the last few weeks. Deaton says she has to be alone, find a constructive way to get rid of it all."

"Morrell said-"

"I don't trust her, okay? She's been great for Grace and for Derek and everything but she fucked up. Derek fucked up. Cora fucked up. They should have said something when they knew we were looking into it. Just let Grace be for a couple days. If we drag her back kicking and screaming she'll just hate us more."

I dip my head, "Does she? Hate us?"

"She's mad and hurt. An offence by one pack member is an offence by everyone; it's how wolves work. Logically, she knows it's only the Hales and Morrell, but she's grown up with those rules. She asked about you. She doesn't want you mad at her."

"Can you tell her I'm not? And that I love her?"

Scott puts a hand on my shoulder, "She knows."

* * *

Scott's next stop is Danny's and the man doesn't seem all that surprised when he opens the door to see Scott.

"You wanna speak with him, don't you?"

Scott nods and Danny lets him in and leads him to his room. "He'll probably be pissed off because it's like 2am there, but he'll answer."

Scott thanks Danny and then the boy goes out in the hallway to give Scott the privacy he needs. He pulls up Skype and clicks on Jackson.

What the hell was he going to say?

"Yeah, you have a half sister."

"Your dad was a creep."

There's a muffle at the other end of the line, "Danny, bro, it's like 2 in the morning." Jackson's eyes are still shut but when he opens them and sees Scott he jumps back a bit, "McCall."

"Hey, Jackson. So I know what's happening back in Beacon Hills is probably the least of your worries and that you have a great life in London and everything, but we need to talk."

Jackson nods, "I'm all ears.


	74. Chapter 74

I wake up at 5 the next day and my first calls are to the water and electricity people. I've decided I'm going to fix up this house and then Isaac can either sell it or rent it out or live in it.

I pull on a pair of jeans and then go to one of Isaac's drawers and pull out one of his t-shirts. It's a long sleeve v-neck that still smells like him. I slip it on and sigh, content with the scent of my mate.

I should call him. Let him know I'm okay but the thought makes me physically sick. I hate them. All of them.

Erica is sitting on the end of the bed. That seems to be a running theme. "You don't hate him."

Her hair is pulled back into a pony tail and she's wearing jeans and a singlet. She looks so young.

"You're right, I don't. I just can't stand the sight of him."

She groans, "Stupid pack mentality bullshit." She gets up and follows me downstairs, "Boyd, get out here." Boyd appears beside her and the two look at me strangely as we enter the basement.

"Is this...?"

I nod and Boyd shakes his head. The two never saw the inside of Isaac's hell. Boyd walks over to the freezer and traces the claw marks while Erica sits in the middle of the room.

"Why have you brought us here?"

"You followed me, remember?"

She nods, remembering. "I'm gonna fix this place up. Make it so he doesn't remember how bad it was."

Erica grins, "Where do we start?"

We spend the next couple hours bouncing around ideas before I can hear Stiles call my name. Erica yawns and Boyd holds her, "Go hang with the living, Grace."

"Grace!" Stiles practically falls down the stairs before righting himself. "I brought your stuff from school."

"That's a nice cover. What's the real reason your here?"

He runs his fingers through his hair, "Look, you're pissed. You have every right to be but-"

"Whatever you have to say I don't care. You skipping school to baby sit me?"

"Ah-"

"_Genim_," my tone is abrasive and his eyes practically bug out of his head. "Stop calling me that," he shouts. "You're pissed, I get it; I do. But do not take it out on me. Yes, Scott asked me to hang out with you today, so deal with it!"

I grin, "Let's get to it then. We got ourselves a hardware store to raid."

Stiles rolls his eyes, "You're a pain in my ass, Fitzgerald."

"You love me."

"Yeah, yeah. Lets go, smart ass."

* * *

I have to catch the bus to school because Scott took his bike, Grace is MIA and Stiles is with her and Melissa needed the car. I'm at the bus stop where I hear the unmistakable clank and clutter of Stiles' jeep.

What follows next is her laughter. The jeep, Roscoe Stiles has taken to calling it, stops at a red light. She turns her head and sees me. Grace's mouth pulls into a small smile as she waves at me. I wave back, small and timid. This was new territory. I step forward and she shakes her head.

"I love you."

"Have to back that up sometimes, Fitzgerald." Because it's true. You can't just say you love someone without doing something to back that up. She frowns and says something to Stiles who groans. She gets out of the jeep and sprints towards me, throwing herself into my arms.

"You're right."

She holds to me tightly, "I j-just. He kept it from me."

"I know."

She nuzzles into me, "Why's everything so simple when you're here?"

I chuckle and she moves with my chest, "When is there ever such thing as simple in our lives?" Come back, come back, come back.

She looks up at me, "You know I can't do that, not yet."

"I didn't say anything."

"True Mates perk," she giggles. My face pales and she laughs more, "It's okay. Nothing you probably haven't said out loud. Plus, it's a two way street."

Stiles honks his horn and Grace looks back at him. "I have to go. I swear, ill be back. I'm not leaving. I just need time."

I try and grin at her, "See you round, Fitz."

* * *

I quickly jump back into the car. "Well, that wasn't dramatic or anything."

"It's me and Isaac, when are things ever dramatic?"

We pull up outside the hardware store and go inside. We pace up and down the paint aisles. "I think we have to get this colour mixed."

I decided I'd paint the basement roof like the night sky and then splatter glow in dark paint over the top. I wanted to get fake grass for the floor and a few deck chairs and a mini fridge with a glass door so Isaac wouldn't have a fear of being shoved in it. I wanted to also see what I could do about getting a couple windows along the top.

While we wait for the paint to be mixed Stiles says, "It doesn't have to be that complicated."

"Stiles, I don't know if you know this but I'm lead a very complicated life. I'm related to Jackson Whittemore, I was conceived in a illegal teacher-student relationship. My biological father is dead, my biological mother burnt me before giving me up. My life with my adoptive family was pretty good until crazy Kate Argent decided they needed to die. Then I lived with an emotionally constipated dick face and a 19 year old who made me feel like a princess and then that 19 year old was murdered and the emotionally constipated dick face threw me out and then I lived on the streets for almost two years until I hitch hiked all the way to Beacon Hills and found you guys. Since then I've fallen in love, found my family, been used to help kill Scott by Peter, died and come back to life, become a Seer, had a heart attack, lost Isaac, got him back, forced to look into my father and then his history was kept secret by 3 of the most important people in my life and now I'm hiding out in the house of horrors. As a kid I used to dream about 20 or 30 years and now I'm hoping for tomorrow. Tell me how it's not complicated."

He looks at me, "I used to dream about marrying Lydia and living in a house with Scott."

"And now?"

"Now I just hope to get out of Beacon Hills, G. I still wanna live with Scott but I want the pack to live there too and I want to marry Cor."

"Sounds like a good plan, Stilinski."

We get the rest of the supplies and head back to the house.

"She knew, you know? Cora? She didn't know we were looking into it though. She swears she would have said something if she did. She didn't know about Jackson though. Just the circumstances."

"The Hales have always been secretive. I don't know if she would have."

"She's changed since you've been here. She's more open. More feminine."

"I think that's you, Stiles. You made her that way."

He grins, "yeah, maybe it is me."


	75. Chapter 75

The bus stops outside the school and I smell sweat and anger; Derek. He's sitting on the stairs, fiddling with his jacket. I walk straight at him, "You need to leave before I beat the crap out of you. My anchors gone at the moment and I really don't want to piss Scott off by shifting in front of everyone."

He pulls off his sunglasses and he looks 15 and defenseless. His eyes are wide and red, like he hasn't gotten any sleep but has drank at least 8 cups of coffee in quick succession to get over it. "She isn't here?"

"Even if she was I wouldn't let you see her. You fucked up."

He stands and shoves me, "Don't you think I know that, Isaac? I was trying to protect her!" Derek's voice is low but it's filled with rage.

"She doesn't need protecting, you fuck. Haven't you worked that out yet? Didn't you think that one day she would get sick of you disappointing her? You left her, Derek. Did you even care about her?"

People are starting to stare. Scott would not like this attention drawn to us but Derek needed to be put in his place. This isn't the first conversation I've had with him like this.

_"Want to figure something out? Because while Scott and Stiles were out there trying to help people from being killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer. Do you get how many people she's killed? Erica and Boyd are dead, Cora is dying, and you are doing nothing! Why'd you do this to us, Derek? Was it all about the power? Were you bored? Were you lonely?_

The answer I got was not the one I had been expecting at all. It was weak. It wasn't the answer of an Alpha.

_"Maybe. I told Cora I wouldn't leave. I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her. "_

I had never wanted to throttle anyone more in my life_, "There's no time! The full moon's coming. The sheriff and Melissa are gonna be dead, so I'm gonna try and help them. You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing."_

Derek pins me against the wall and I know I've gotten under his skin. Cora pulls him off of me, "Behave."

"Oh, get lost Cora. You're not innocent in this either."

Cora slaps me, "Fuck you, Isaac. I knew but I didn't know she was investigating. I would have told her."

"Bull shit," I mutter before storming off. There's a call of my name and the sound of foot steps. I turn to see Jude keeping pace with me. "Is Grace okay?"

"Look, Jude, Grace might be okay with you but I'm not so kindly go jump in a lake or something." The boy stops in his tracks and I continue on my walk. I stop at my locker where Lydia is leaning against.

"Someone's cheerful."

I glare at her and she rolls her eyes, "She's with Stiles. How much trouble can she get in?"

I raise my eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess we'll have to pray."

"You don't believe in God, you only believe in yourself."

"And my pack."

I look at her and she shrugs, "Come on, we have English." We begin walking down the halls when Lydia sighs, "I think Jackson's coming home."

I stop her and pull her to the side of the hallway. She doesn't look at me, instead her eyes are trained on the ground, "Lyd-"

"I'm just nervous."

"The Great Lydia Martin is never nervous. She's fierce and awesome and she eats boys for breakfast so don't worry about it. You don't know if he's definitely coming back."

"Danny said Scott went by his last night and that he skyped Jackson."

"Means nothing. Come on, some boring old English will take your mind off of it all."

* * *

"Stop being such a baby and lift!" We were throwing out the freezer and every other thing in this stupid basement and Stiles could not lift a thing.

"I'm sorry not all of us can borrow strength from a freaking Alpha werewolf."

"You play lacrosse! Doesn't that require you to do some weight training or something?"

Somehow Stiles manages to flail whilst holding the freezer. When we finally get it out of the house and on to the front lawn we go back downstairs and I get to work removing the basement door.

"Why're taking off the door?"

I grunt as I lift the door, "Won't feel trapped."

"What're you gonna put instead?"

"Curtain."

"You're going to a lot of thought and effort over this."

"I love him," I say, as though that would explain everything and Stiles simply takes it.

After we finish painting we sit and look at the "stars". "Stiles?"

"Mmm?"

"What was Jackson like?"

Stiles snorts, "Jackson was a dick. What drew Lydia and Danny to him is beyond me."

"Oh."


End file.
